Tag: Justice

Culture Wars

Where is the United States culture being driven these days? This is a great question considering the current importation of immigrants with cultures that seem to conflict with U.S. norms.

United States culture is centered on core values like individualism, equality, and freedom that are enumerated in our Constitution and expressed through norms of a strong work ethic, informality, direct communication, and appreciation for innovation, alongside popular elements like sports, diverse cuisine, and a powerful entertainment industry. However, safety is one value that is becoming increasingly overlooked.

Safety is widely considered a fundamental personal and organizational value that guides behavior and decision-making. The feeling of safety in the home, workplace and during travel should never be compromised, however we all must practice awareness of our surroundings because the human race is quite imperfect. Governments implement a system of rules and enforcement tools to deal with individuals who impede the safety of greater society. A culture of peace and prosperity is hindered when governments fail to use common sense when implementing the safety system.

There is currently a war being waged in our country between the safety of the law abiding citizen and the aloof civil officials. We never saw this war coming because it simply wouldn’t occur to the average law abiding citizen that their government would not protect them. Of course government cannot be present for every safety concern which is why our constitution explicitly states that we have a right to self defense. However it appears that many local jurisdictions are testing the average law abiding citizen by allowing repeat criminals to roam freely and in many instances these criminals avoid showing up to their court appearances thereby causing a warrant for their arrest. Breaking another law! Common sense be dammed.

But it gets worse…many civil officials actually believe that criminals should be shown more compassion than their victims. This is morally backwards because justice will not work under this condition. To have true justice the alleged perpetrator must be adjudicated within an established system that recognizes victims rights. A different standard of constitutional rights applies to non citizens depending on their status. This is why a non citizen must be especially aware of and responsible for their own status. Overstaying a visa, not showing up for an asylum hearing, evading border control, using a stolen or made up social security number to obtain work or benefits, and working under the table are all examples of criminal activity under federal law and examples of unfair practices towards citizens. Civil officials who condone the breaking of laws or who incite unrest among people are causing a reflexive unrest among other people. This “war” causes divisiveness within our culture.

We don’t have two different cultures, we have one culture with two sides that understand rights and responsibilities differently. The resulting chaos is a Marxist ploy for revolution whether we understand it or not.

Political Constructs

”To err is human…” – Alexander Pope

Being human takes a lot of thought. We humans don’t know this until life embarks on its discontented journey…We each have our own road, and if we are thoughtful enough, we use our free will to make some good choices. These thought skills take time and practice to perfect.

Freedom enables the best use of our free will. Even if we take for granted this freedom, our free will aught to be used with ample discretion. But humans rarely understand the many boundaries that exist within life’s framework to use discretion properly which is why communities of humans have rules.

When a human breaks the smallest of community rules there is need for justice. How many of us will honestly apply this standard on a daily basis, be thoughtful about it, and understand the burden of repairing each rule we break with humility? Probably quite a few of us practice it regularly. Yet we cannot assume that everyone will. As Alexander Pope once said, “To err is human…”

Rules usually apply in family, workplace, and organized group situations. We get good practice in these settings. Penalties for rule breaking are meant to cause brief shame. Our chance for redemption is pretty high if a sincere apology is accepted and we correct ourselves through active example. Shame becomes respect in this way.

Laws, however, are much more strict. This is necessary in the broader context of human interaction because we gave up tribalism long ago…Systems of governance are used between and among towns, counties, states and nations so that all people can move about and interact peacefully. The development of laws takes time and practice, and thoughtful governments try to improve upon their implementation continually which is the basis of justice.

Currently I see many people turning to tribalism to obtain “justice”. Law and order has been eroding which undermines any form of peaceful process toward desired justice. Dignity must be bestowed upon all humans no matter their race, religion, gender, sexual preference and even job choice. Harm directed at one of us is harm to all of us. Over the past centuries humans have already done too much harm to each other in the name of justice when in actuality the ulterior motives were more or less “spiteful revenge”. Where does this spiteful revenge come from? I believe that political forces cause us to lose sight of our human capacity to be our best selves.

In our goal to seek proper justice we must use empathy and humility. Peaceful protest in the public common is a fine start, but leadership must be identified and goals must be adopted. Positive change is a result of carefully measured action steps through our democratic process, otherwise we can fall prey to tribes using vengeful tactics.

Realize this though, political leadership quite often enjoys the use of oppression and injustice through political constructivism. If your intuition suspects that your government is not working for you or your community’s best interest, you have the power to change things! It is not your government’s responsibility to make change because if it was then we would always be waiting for change…Sound familiar?

What have politicians or other people in positions of power (this can include church figures too) constructed for you? Emotional and tribal barriers are burdensome to the soul. When a politician says that they can “change the soul” of your community, watch out! That is a political construct using their will to manipulate your free will…It crushes souls and demeans the spirit. Laws are then changed to suit their purpose of power over you. They will push examples of social, gender, and racial constructs to justify their use of power to take away freedoms.

What burden does your soul and spirit carry within you? Does it reflect the barriers that exist outside of you? You are responsible for discovering the truth that sets you free…Do not delegate it to a tribe or a politician. Forgive yourself for not understanding this before, and move forward in your life in humble purpose that includes all your acquaintances. Your light will reflect onto them and harmony with each other will be achieved.

“To err is human, to forgive is Devine.” – Alexander Pope