Justice and Love
- by Rachel Davidson
- •
- 03 Apr, 2020
- •
to believe in justice and love is to connect with our higher-selves and our collective humanity...
(I wrote and scheduled the following blog for publication a number of weeks ago, long before the Covid-19 related societal controls were in place. I sincerely hope you are all well and coping with how your daily life now looks and feels like - there's an offer at the end of this post that might help the isolation boredom).
Today I am mindful to discuss the topic of justice and the quality of the energy that rises when one is on the end of its opposite – injustice.
I most recently saw this bloom within a young family-member’s heart – how she exploded with heated anger and outrage at the unfair treatment by someone she has long called a friend (a person who she considers she has been faithful to, and often stood up for). It was a piece of disappointing behaviour that in the grand scheme of a long life will fade from the memory. A silly bit of nastiness that resulted in hurt feelings. But, “sticks and stones” aside, it made my relative feel like she had been pushed beneath the wheels of a ‘judge and jury’ juggernaut.
As I spoke to my relative, I dared her to consider challenging it. She countered that there was no such thing as justice. What she was really expressing, I believe, was an understandable fear of standing up for herself, of demanding that she be treated in a fair and reasonable manner. She feared the greater ramifications of being the first in her peer group to actually name the behaviour. That to act in such an anomalous fashion, even if her arguments were valid and would be judged by most to be ‘fair’, would be to isolate herself within her friendship group.
Author, Bell Hooks writes in her book ‘All About Love’: “There is so much injustice (in society) and such a conspiracy not to discuss it…” Hooks goes on to discuss how often injustice is allowed to prevail because it would “cost too much to fix” the underlying issues. It seems that “...greed is considered legitimate while brotherly love is not.”
As per Bell Hooks’ observation, my relative felt strongly that her complaint of injustice would be deflected, that she would be dismissed too easily as being ‘over-sensitive’ and that the ‘cost’ of fixing the damage she felt had been inflicted upon her by her friend would be entirely too much for that friend to bear.
There is sadness in this simple example of injustice that applies to both the micro and macro of all our lives. To believe that there is no justice, that it is pointless to hope for it, is I think, to give up on the idea of our higher-selves and on our collective humanity. To expect fair and reasonable treatment is one of the basic tenets of a caring society.
For beneath our discussion on justice there is a greater power flowing. A power that is transformational and one which I believe we all have access to; that power is love. Love is what supports justice, and lovelessness is what leads to injustice.
It was no doubt a lack of love in her life that triggered the hurtful behaviour of my relative’s friend. A fear driven reaction to something, an acting-out, that in the moment was designed to hurt and to control. It certainly was not loving behaviour of a generous friend.
Some may find satisfaction to this quandary in a call for revenge. Indeed, my relative did come up with all manner of ways in which this “so-called” friend’s secrets could be unveiled in dramatic fashion and to devastating effect. “That will teach them not to mess with me,” went the rhetoric.
Revenge can feel powerfully righteous to even the best of us. How compelling it can be to think of delivering your harsh lesson upon your attacker, feeling great satisfaction as they realise the error of their ways and beg you for forgiveness. This is what I wrote about in The Truth of Her, Beyond Veils, Book Two. It was the choice that the main character, Lyra, had before her – to enact powerful and horrific revenge in return for a vile attack that she was put through. In the story she is goaded by a dark, wood-witch manifestation of her elemental anger and rage. Lyra is wholly taken up in the powerful storm and gratification of doing to others what was done to her and she does indeed craft her own definition of justice. But what then?
When we are the judge and jury of somebody’s actions, no matter how hurtful they feel for us, can we ever really be sure that our definition of ‘justice’ is the correct one? How do we know that we haven’t simply retaliated in kind?
The law of karma is often thought of as the ultimate, divine justice. But this law too is often misunderstood. It is not a law of ‘punishment’ as some are keen to have it be. It is a law of cause and effect. All of our lives are noted within the Akashic Records – each action, each thought and feeling. They all carry a positive or negative ‘charge’ to them in the balance of our life’s account. This balance is a determination of our reincarnation states.
The good news is that it is mostly within each of our capabilities to live a life that gives a better chance of finishing on a positive karmic balance.
So, does Lyra’s vengeful enactment of justice work out for her, or does she come to regret it as a moment of weakness and bear the consequences? You’ll have to read the book to find out; no spoilers here.
I can say how my relative dealt with her example of injustice. Having taken time to calm down, she has subsequently spoken to her friend about the impact of her actions in as truthful yet non-confrontational manner possible. The friend has not accepted this as a truth, yet (perhaps she never will), but my relative feels happier that a form of justice has been enacted. As such she feels freer to move on and await what outcomes the universe has for them both, content for it to be within divinity’s hands to decide.
That seems like a loving, fair and reasonable result. As Bell Hooks says “Love is as love does”
P.S. If I may return now to the isolation and lockdown status that we find ourselves in, because of the Covid-19 fears; I posted a free-giveaway of the audiobook version of my first novel, 'The Point of Me, Beyond Veils, Book One' on my Facebook and Instagram accounts the other week. It is a small gesture in the grand global scale of the crisis, but might just help one person feel a little less isolated or even bored. There are still some free-codes left. So if you would like to have a free audiobook to listen to - then use the Contact-Me form on my website and let me know. If you know of a friend or family member who might want to take advantage of this, then please do share this blog post with them.
P.P.S May I ask for a bit of help from you now? Would you consider writing a review for my second book, The Truth of Her, Beyond Veils, Book 2? It needs to catch up with it's 'big brother', my first book, in the 'number of reviews posted' stakes! If you have finished reading The Truth of Her - or are getting close to - maybe you would consider letting me, and other potential readers, know what you thought of it by writing up a quick Amazon review (this is the third most helpful thing you can do for my writing career, just behind buying the book and reading the book!). Click here to be taken straight to the Amazon page.
P.P.P.S Are there other helpful things you can do for me? Well yes, thank you for asking! You could let your friends and family know about your enjoyment of The Truth of Her, and encourage them to consider purchasing a copy for themselves. If you fancy doing this, well I've taken some of the hassle out of it for you by doing a pre-prepared Facebook and Twitter post! Just click on those links and post away. You will have my lasting gratitude, helped me contribute towards the household bills, and earn a 'super-fan' star for yourself.
(all book/audiobook links in this post are affiliate links, meaning that if you click on them and then go on to buy, I will get a few more pennies to add to my sales royalties. The price to you remains the same though).
Today I am mindful to discuss the topic of justice and the quality of the energy that rises when one is on the end of its opposite – injustice.
I most recently saw this bloom within a young family-member’s heart – how she exploded with heated anger and outrage at the unfair treatment by someone she has long called a friend (a person who she considers she has been faithful to, and often stood up for). It was a piece of disappointing behaviour that in the grand scheme of a long life will fade from the memory. A silly bit of nastiness that resulted in hurt feelings. But, “sticks and stones” aside, it made my relative feel like she had been pushed beneath the wheels of a ‘judge and jury’ juggernaut.
As I spoke to my relative, I dared her to consider challenging it. She countered that there was no such thing as justice. What she was really expressing, I believe, was an understandable fear of standing up for herself, of demanding that she be treated in a fair and reasonable manner. She feared the greater ramifications of being the first in her peer group to actually name the behaviour. That to act in such an anomalous fashion, even if her arguments were valid and would be judged by most to be ‘fair’, would be to isolate herself within her friendship group.
Author, Bell Hooks writes in her book ‘All About Love’: “There is so much injustice (in society) and such a conspiracy not to discuss it…” Hooks goes on to discuss how often injustice is allowed to prevail because it would “cost too much to fix” the underlying issues. It seems that “...greed is considered legitimate while brotherly love is not.”
As per Bell Hooks’ observation, my relative felt strongly that her complaint of injustice would be deflected, that she would be dismissed too easily as being ‘over-sensitive’ and that the ‘cost’ of fixing the damage she felt had been inflicted upon her by her friend would be entirely too much for that friend to bear.
There is sadness in this simple example of injustice that applies to both the micro and macro of all our lives. To believe that there is no justice, that it is pointless to hope for it, is I think, to give up on the idea of our higher-selves and on our collective humanity. To expect fair and reasonable treatment is one of the basic tenets of a caring society.
For beneath our discussion on justice there is a greater power flowing. A power that is transformational and one which I believe we all have access to; that power is love. Love is what supports justice, and lovelessness is what leads to injustice.
It was no doubt a lack of love in her life that triggered the hurtful behaviour of my relative’s friend. A fear driven reaction to something, an acting-out, that in the moment was designed to hurt and to control. It certainly was not loving behaviour of a generous friend.
Some may find satisfaction to this quandary in a call for revenge. Indeed, my relative did come up with all manner of ways in which this “so-called” friend’s secrets could be unveiled in dramatic fashion and to devastating effect. “That will teach them not to mess with me,” went the rhetoric.
Revenge can feel powerfully righteous to even the best of us. How compelling it can be to think of delivering your harsh lesson upon your attacker, feeling great satisfaction as they realise the error of their ways and beg you for forgiveness. This is what I wrote about in The Truth of Her, Beyond Veils, Book Two. It was the choice that the main character, Lyra, had before her – to enact powerful and horrific revenge in return for a vile attack that she was put through. In the story she is goaded by a dark, wood-witch manifestation of her elemental anger and rage. Lyra is wholly taken up in the powerful storm and gratification of doing to others what was done to her and she does indeed craft her own definition of justice. But what then?
When we are the judge and jury of somebody’s actions, no matter how hurtful they feel for us, can we ever really be sure that our definition of ‘justice’ is the correct one? How do we know that we haven’t simply retaliated in kind?
The law of karma is often thought of as the ultimate, divine justice. But this law too is often misunderstood. It is not a law of ‘punishment’ as some are keen to have it be. It is a law of cause and effect. All of our lives are noted within the Akashic Records – each action, each thought and feeling. They all carry a positive or negative ‘charge’ to them in the balance of our life’s account. This balance is a determination of our reincarnation states.
The good news is that it is mostly within each of our capabilities to live a life that gives a better chance of finishing on a positive karmic balance.
So, does Lyra’s vengeful enactment of justice work out for her, or does she come to regret it as a moment of weakness and bear the consequences? You’ll have to read the book to find out; no spoilers here.
I can say how my relative dealt with her example of injustice. Having taken time to calm down, she has subsequently spoken to her friend about the impact of her actions in as truthful yet non-confrontational manner possible. The friend has not accepted this as a truth, yet (perhaps she never will), but my relative feels happier that a form of justice has been enacted. As such she feels freer to move on and await what outcomes the universe has for them both, content for it to be within divinity’s hands to decide.
That seems like a loving, fair and reasonable result. As Bell Hooks says “Love is as love does”
P.S. If I may return now to the isolation and lockdown status that we find ourselves in, because of the Covid-19 fears; I posted a free-giveaway of the audiobook version of my first novel, 'The Point of Me, Beyond Veils, Book One' on my Facebook and Instagram accounts the other week. It is a small gesture in the grand global scale of the crisis, but might just help one person feel a little less isolated or even bored. There are still some free-codes left. So if you would like to have a free audiobook to listen to - then use the Contact-Me form on my website and let me know. If you know of a friend or family member who might want to take advantage of this, then please do share this blog post with them.
P.P.S May I ask for a bit of help from you now? Would you consider writing a review for my second book, The Truth of Her, Beyond Veils, Book 2? It needs to catch up with it's 'big brother', my first book, in the 'number of reviews posted' stakes! If you have finished reading The Truth of Her - or are getting close to - maybe you would consider letting me, and other potential readers, know what you thought of it by writing up a quick Amazon review (this is the third most helpful thing you can do for my writing career, just behind buying the book and reading the book!). Click here to be taken straight to the Amazon page.
P.P.P.S Are there other helpful things you can do for me? Well yes, thank you for asking! You could let your friends and family know about your enjoyment of The Truth of Her, and encourage them to consider purchasing a copy for themselves. If you fancy doing this, well I've taken some of the hassle out of it for you by doing a pre-prepared Facebook and Twitter post! Just click on those links and post away. You will have my lasting gratitude, helped me contribute towards the household bills, and earn a 'super-fan' star for yourself.
(all book/audiobook links in this post are affiliate links, meaning that if you click on them and then go on to buy, I will get a few more pennies to add to my sales royalties. The price to you remains the same though).
