...and Justice for all!

I walk among the temples of the Acropolis in Athens and I contemplate justice and the rights of man...

Like every parent, I have often heard the refrain form my children that this or that, "isn't fair". I generally tell them that fare is what you pay the bus driver and not to look for fair in this lifetime. Given that they have loving parents and every advantage, I can't really get too excited about my children's first encounters with injustice...maybe I should. We tend to forget as we get older how disheartening it was when we first discovered that there was injustice in this would. That life isn't fair. Our minds screamed at this callous disregard for what is clearly right!

I have often said in this blog that what God exists in this world is what God we carry inside of ourselves and share with our fellow travelers...I feel this is also true of justice. If we would have justice in this world, then we must be just. I am encouraged... I often write here about many ways in which the world is becoming a colder and darker place...that we don't care for each other or love each other the way people once did. But in certain ways, things are getting better. I believe that the rights of individuals are respected more now than they ever have been. There's still a long way to go, but it has become much more difficult (and much more widely condemned) for the powerful to torture, murder and steal from the poor...or to suppress the voices of freedom. Many people have fought and died to bring a little more justice into the world. My daughter reminded me of the image of the man before the tanks in Tiananmen Square...I wonder what happened to that brave man.

As I stand here, I realize that this battle has gone on for over 2000 years. I want to thank all those who have struggled to bring more justice and respect into this world; especially those who have lost their property or their lives in the fight to give justice to others. I constantly hope and pray that we can find a way to love each other...respecting each other is a good start.

Best! Norm.