Justice, Mercy, Empathy, Compassion

Justice, Mercy, Detachment, and Compassion: do they work together? Or do they contradict?

How can one be just and show mercy?

How can you be detached with compassion?

The Truth is — life is a balance. Life is not one-sided as the mind would often like to have it. We find these conflicts time and time again throughout the ages of human existence. One person sees one thing one way, and the other person sees it another way. Though the Truth often is in the middle, we more often cannot see it, and we often have to make a choice.

When it comes to justice and mercy, what are we to do? Lady Justice is depicted as blindfolded. Why? Because she does not see? Or because she only listens? We may only discern the truth and apply the Law accordingly. If one man commits a murder and he is forgiven by the family members of his victim, does that mean he will be forgiven by the State? No. Should his crime be forgiven, and he be set free if those who were affected by the crime forgive him? No. Here is why: sometimes more often than not people are not prepared to administer the proper ruling or judgment. That is why we have created laws and the judicial system.

For example, Stockholm syndrome is when a hostage or a kidnapping victim develops trust and affection for their captor. They are no longer in the right state of mind to discern right from wrong in regards to this person, place, and outcome. They are affected by trauma.

People often confuse similar ideologies in very small ways throughout their entire lives. Another example would be: growing up and remaining in an environment that is abusive and accepting it.

There are many forms of abuse in today’s world.

Where is mercy? Where is compassion? At what point does compassion become manipulated for injustice? How many prisoners are released too soon? Kept too long? Or wrongly convicted? Where is the justice?

You can still be compassionate, merciful, detached and just, all at the same time. That is actually the only way to be just. Mercy does not have to be naive. Today’s mercy is often blind and deaf.

If you show mercy: can you rule justly? If I am compassionate for the murderer and let him loose and he kills again, what use is that compassion? Is that compassion, or an inability to think responsibly?

Without order, we are blind.

What makes one thief on the cross a saint, and the other a “sinner”? It is symbolic, like Lady Justice. We can see that even Christ on his last day understood this. We shall too.

What is it that makes one man forgivable and the other forgivable but with worse consequence than regret? It must be that mankind judges as we judge ourselves. Sometimes a jury can be convinced by a very good lawyer. Sometimes not. What Law then operates when a man is wrongfully convicted, or wrongfully released? Here comes the difficult part: is anyone innocent? I will leave that for you to decide.

What I will say is this, that regardless if you believe a man is innocent or guilty of a crime or Karma, that his experience is one that he had brought upon himself. Innocence is often perceived in the attitude and outcome, but circumstances are always neutral. Whose duty is it to let a man free, or to keep him incarcerated? Ultimately, even parents play the role of judge and jury, our friends also first judged us to be accepted as their friends. No none has ever been your friend without judging you. Unconditional love may be an outcome of friendship but it is always developed.

Where is our compassion for the saint and “sinner” alike?

If we do not judge, then how can we distinguish the difference? More importantly, why should we distinguish between good and bad, virtue and crime? The answer is obvious.

It is that same answer that tells us that not all circumstances are the same as not all outcomes are the same. It is the duty of every man and woman to understand this unless they want to remain a child. Distinguishing a man from a boy: is his comprehension. It is comprehension that tells us there is no one answer to life’s many questions or situations. We must always think before we act unless our actions are from compulsion.

Compulsion is not mercy.

So then, what is mercie’s place with justice? What is compassion’s place with detachment? An example is this, you can only see mercy within justice. There is no other opportunity to express mercy accept in a moment of injustice. You would have to acknowledge that something is not just. You would have to know that some harm or some wrong has happened in order to show mercy. Mercy is an emotion. You do not actually need to empathize every time justice needs a ruling. That is the law. But, it is not the law to have compassion, to have mercy while doing your duty.

These things will exist for quite some time.

In order to move forward, we must understand the basic laws of mankind. There is no other way but through understanding. Compassion is ultimately a state of understanding and detachment. There cannot be compassion for you if I am suffering with you. That is simply sharing the pain. Compassion is the ability to rise above circumstance amidst all adversity and to hold love in your heart for all mankind.

Without these basic truths, we are lost.