Tagged: justice
Punishment: The outcome of violence
Once we discover violence within, we may begin to observe the whole system of social conditioning; and perhaps we will recognize how punishment has been observed as another synonym of “justice.”
In general, in our society punishment is the settlement of an offense made by someone. Punishment increases, as the offense is deemed to be “worse.” Laws are in charge of judging the severity of those offenses, but the bottom line is that “eye for eye and tooth for tooth” still remains as the principle of retribution to compensate for a loss.
That principle of punishment is so ingrained in our society that even religions preaching peace, brotherhood, and forgiving another’s offense use the principle of punishment quite often in their philosophies and beliefs. Even “God” could be depicted as a vengeful being who supports a particular land or people over another.
Looking at the penal system in the world, we could see a wide variety of beliefs and approaches: From the popular “If you do the crime, you do the time” to a more restorative and rehabilitative system where the inmate is treated with dignity and high hopes to make him part of society again. The correctional system in Norway is well known for the later.
It could be easy to point out that the level of overall violence existing in a country, is proportional to the type of punishment that they will support. Violence uses punishment as another way of reciprocal violence under the label of “justice.”
When the collective consciousness is continuously fed with violence, there will be manifestation of it and retaliation in the form of punishment. It is interesting to look into this, for we could perceive how our conditioning will make us behave in violent ways even with our closest relatives and friends. When others do not behave according to our expectations, punishment is used to bring that person into compliance, although; our understanding of “fairness” and “justice” is biased by conditioning.
Someone stole a widget from a store. He could be penalized with jail time, a fine or even to chop that hand off. Very few will go into a way to rehabilitate that person and understand his circumstances. Who has the time in a busy society? Fear is the tool used to discourage the person from recidivism.
To understand punishment means to look into our own inner violence. That is the starting point. Someone harming another may be mentally ill or circumstances may be pushing that person. Rehabilitation is a more humane way to deal with violence.
If someone murders a close loved relative like your sibling, and you know who that person is; Wouldn’t avenging that person be the right action? Why is there the belief that by taking the life of the individual murdering a loved one, things will be even?
I could say through experience, that to deal with inner feelings of vengeance is the challenging part. That literally will poison us. Our inner violence will exacerbate and manifest. That is the hardest part. Vengeance cannot bring a loved one back, but it can destroy our own life; for our own violence will be completely unleashed and self destructive.
A “spiritual” person knows that we cannot take “justice” in our own hands. Humans do not have the power to decide over someone’s life and if we pretend to have it, consequences will be experienced. We know that Life is a gift, however; Life and Death are together. We can thank our parents for giving us Life as we have been told, but we forget that through that Life, there will be the experience of Death as well.
Life has its own “justice system,” which is not human: It never forgets and arrives at the “right time.” All we may need to be aware of, is what we keep in our hearts. If we keep the poison of vengeance, then the trauma that we will inflict into ourselves will make our life miserable. The emotion urging us to “get even” is the mind with its own conditioning, learned through living in a violent social system: “An eye for an eye.” Thus, we have the responsibility to look into this as we could experience the poison of vengeance.
We say “forgive and forget.” That is not for “normal” humans; but for those who are willing to go beyond their own little selves and open up their hearts to any experience that Life may bring. Experiences will not always be pleasant for we live in the world of duality; but for sure, those experiences will be exactly what we need to experience. This is not a matter of “luck” but destiny. It is not punishment but a test for growth. It is up to us to make it a lesson or a trauma.
On the perception of “equality.”
Justice, equality, love… pretty words used by many when looking for support.
The human journey is to go from the merely intellectual understanding of those words to the actual feeling and thus BEING it.
Love IS. Justice and equality are man-made inventions in a world full of violence. Human beings ARE violent creatures.
Life has “justice” in it. Although, “justice” is not the correct word; which should be “balance” instead, human perception of justice is not the paradigm used by Life itself.
A few days ago, the International women’s day was celebrated. Women’s constant struggle to find equality with men has been the theme of many years now. The invention of a new pretty word -empowerment- (of women) has been used to show society’s efforts to work towards that equality.
Why does society perceives men and women not to be equal? Because conditioned human beings find and concentrate on differences and use violence as a tool to demonstrate supremacy over “different ones.” However, that perception is an illusion, for differences create a complementary quality which creates wholesomeness, unity. We are one.
In short, differences are not opposite but complementary. Life moves along those lines. Society moves through conflict, through discrimination, oppression and violence of one side towards the other. Paradoxically, it is that same violent mind the one that has created “rights” to defend the oppressed side.
At the most obvious and superficial perception, differences of men and women create the complementary quality needed to live Life in harmony. In its depth, we could find that every man and woman irrespective of sexual orientation, has a masculine and a feminine side. Our perception as society will change once a human being is able to harmonize those 2 sides within. Otherwise, the predominant side will prevail and dominate the other. That is exactly what happens at the level of society.
It is too bad that politicians and law makers are completely unaware of the above, for “laws” are only intellectual cover ups unable to change how actually a person feels. It is indeed those feelings, the ones that will be expressed and despite the enactment of “pretty” laws, we will witness further violence.
Yes, laws are better than nothing in a dormant society. At least we could say that “we are trying.”
Observe that we ARE violence. Laws only cover that fact by forcing a behavior, because most humans are unable to look inside. There is no time. There is no profit in such activity. No demand.
Among men, there has been separation as well. Exploitation due to differences of skin color, religion, etc. Not long ago, a man could have been a slave to another, due to his skin color or national origin.
The same type of violence is showcased with animals. I always wondered about the “symbiotic” relationship of domesticated animals with human beings: What benefit do animals obtain? They could be better off all by themselves. On the other hand, humans have benefited through the free exploitation of animals. Animals have been used even for “entertainment” (bull fight, cock fight, dog fight, etc.) as still some countries keep obsolete and inhumane traditions as forms of “entertainment” and many times use another “pretty” word to hide their violent nature, they use the word “art” to hide the slaughter.
But, where is “justice” in those inhumane practices with animals?
Well… It comes to mind the epidemic diseases: COVID-19. SARS, MERS, Avian influenza, Swine flu, etc. Those viruses have an origin in animals.
Balance. In Life, a human being is no better than a fish. Although human religions and law makers may believe otherwise. Want “proof”? Death is everywhere. Hardship strikes to hunters and prey “equally.”
It is important to recognize that we are all together in this. Our distinctions, separations, differences, etc. do not control the way Life works.
When we DO something to OTHERS, we do it to OURSELVES.
Looking forward to see that “law” in “practice” in some country showcasing a “progressive,” democratic constitution.
Many years ago, it was taught: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It seems we still have issues properly defining and understanding what “others” means, for most only see “I” but cannot understand what it is.
The game of opposites
Opposites drive Life into movement. “Life changes” is the consequence of opposite energies.
Want to be “spiritual”? Want to be “good”?
Non-spiritual and “bad” has to be experienced. Thus, It is to be “bad,” “bad” after all? 🙂 It is a matter of time.
We will find people with opposite virtues/weaknesses, characters, perspectives, experiences, skills, etc. That is what is necessary for movement in the World to occur, yet; our conditioning will judge and label what is not considered “right” through our standards.
God needs the Devil. Police needs crooks, politicians need masses, day needs night… Get the picture?
Those apparent opposites work as “One,” practically it is a unity.
We say: “Body, mind and spirit,” to define a human being, but all of those separating labels cannot divide what is meant to be ONE.
Our minds will affect the way our bodies feel and our bodies, the perception of the mind.
For most the word “spirit” is not experiential. It is only a nice label to throw in there to “look spiritual.”
Nevertheless, whether we dissect a human into 20 types of bodies and 500 chakras, everything works as a unity. It is ONE.
Our education, our learning is based on information. That is second hand knowledge. That is worthless to understand Life, but for the human world, it is priceless stuff.
Once a human being is sold into the ways of society as the only “Life,” then he will not be able to connect with Nature, with Life itself.
In some minds, a concept is real: Triangles exist and so numbers. An” ideal” such as “justice” is supported, the unchanging ideal unable to fit “what is.” Life has its own “justice” which has very little resemblance to human justice. It is merely the experience of the opposite. We say “my karma.” One side of the full experience.
“Spirituality for the masses” keeps teaching its followers how to avoid change. How to stick with an ideal. “Summer is good. Don’t go into Winter for that is bad.” That creates inner dishonesty. A believer believes Summer to be the “right” thing, but he cannot stop the process of living Winter in his own skin.
The procession of the opposites is bound to pass by, it is the 2 faces of the coin which makes up ONE coin. Every time we choose one side, we cannot avoid the other to show up. It is a matter of time.
We have learnt to separate opposites, but from another vision; those opposites are complementary.
Every human experience has an opposite. Every Life journey will go through that trip. Today saint, tomorrow sinner. Where is the middle line? There is none… or we could make up one and label that as our “morality.”
Our conditioning to believe in labels don’t allow us to see the continuity of the rainbow: Different colors, even opposite of each other making up ONE white light.
The ideal of Justice
One of the prettiest and worshiped words in our society is the word “justice.”
Everyone wants justice, thus there is a fight, a struggle for justice. “Justice” doesn’t come easy. In the “divine” the synonym of the word “justice,” is “karma.”
We are not aware that the only reason “justice” exists is because we are rupturing, separating what cannot be. It is “I” fighting against“you” for justice. There is a difference between that “I” and “you.” Pick any difference, any will do: Color of the skin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, heritage, political affiliation, nationality, language, intelligence, beauty, hierarchy, physical strength…. And of course, etc. etc.
Our Life in society is about separation. Our identity is made through many labels, which truly never show us who we ARE, but basically what we identify with. Thus, a great source of ego, which will clash with someone else’s ego. That is how justice appears.
When we identify with something, that something will define us. Through that definition we will live our lives as slaves of ideals.
Even though, the world changes, our ideals will remain static, through the veil of illusion of another word: To be “right.”
Nothing wrong with ideals, just be aware that no one has the same ideal, even though it may be called with the same label.
The mirage is that we feel part of something bigger than us, by giving our allegiance to a label.
What I shared above can be easily misunderstood.
A fish gets eaten by a hawk. Is justice available for the fish?
Men hunt dolphins in the Pacific Ocean. Any justice for the Dolphins?
Prosecutors? Defense? Lawyers? All mind created “fair solutions.” Shall we award half a million dollars to the Dolphin foundation for concept of damages to their protegees? Is that justice?
As we look deeply into the concept of “justice,” it gets borderline stupid.
Murder is not resolved by giving money to the victims. Somehow in our minds, that is “justice.”
An eye for an eye then? Murder is perpetuated by murdering.
What is the solution? Don’t we all want a thought out solution, some word to offer hope and call it “justice”?
Look into yourself. When you are aware of separation, “your” convenience, your DOING becomes a problem for the “whole.”
“But that is not a “practical solution,” people will keep on acting unjustly, so the law needs to prevail: Justice for all!”
Yeah. What I shared above, is not for you yet. 🙂
Division, separation, antagonism
Most of the collective mentality in the world could be “defined” by using the words: Division, separation and antagonism.
That is the “sin.” Those are the vices. That is the devil. Those are the evil ways. That is Maya.
Morality, laws, holy scriptures, mediumship of beings of light or no-light, God, etc. only represent the search for that “long lost” unity again.
Oneness.
Laws, holy scriptures, etc. have their own language on things. Their explanation is based on the audience that will more likely receive it. Some are for a childish consciousness others are not… All is good, for we are in different consciousness.
The perception of Division, separation and antagonism as “bad” is utterly childish.
One becomes two… just to become one again. Oneness knows about division, to be One again.
The journey between one state of being into another are experiences. Life.
“Do not do/think/feel that because you will be punished” is different from: “Everything has a consequence.” The former gives birth to the duality of “good and bad.” It is a “black or white” statement. We could add fear to it so the “point gets across” if we wish to proceed under the premise that “fear makes it happen.” 🙂
Nevertheless, that is also called manipulation.
“Everything has a consequence,” will give the opportunity to experience and to find out for ourselves. That is the opportunity to be our own teacher if aware, if honest, if conscious….
When our minds are full of division, separation and antagonism, our vision in life will carry that belief.
We see political parties. That is division. We choose one against the other. We pick what we “think to be the best.” We may not realize that for someone else, another party is the “best.”
Conflict will arise.
We have been trained to “fight” against the “other” to “get what we want.”
We could embellish the above behavior by giving those a “nice” word:
“Holy war.” “Justice.” “Freedom.” “Independence.”
Change happens when we open up, when we let go, when we join rather than oppose, for there is nothing that could remain the same. It is just a matter of timing.
Let things flow, observe and wait for the opportunity to act. That is the teaching in Nature.
If we oppose, we could either win or lose. That is Duality.
Regardless of winning or losing, we will be hurt.
When hurt, we cannot enjoy.
The river will change its course and so is the wind. The same is with us.
To try to be the “same,” unchanged, stubborn despite the circumstances is truly an aberration. It is a way to continue our ego-centered ways.
Life is not an unchanged dogma. Life is not something that we could possess. It is something to enjoy while it is happening… 🙂
I’d like to dedicate this post to a “life teacher” who just passed away, his name was Anthony Strano.
To me, he had the openness to understand his faith under different perspectives and the courage to express his understanding for the common good, and not just for a group.
I met him for a couple of days and we became friends in that time…. I found him approachable, light and with a humorous giggle which could turn into a good laugh. 🙂 We never spoke each other again after that meeting.
Never read any of his books.
However, some of his classes and the “Tao Te Ching” have been the only “spiritual” things in my Iphone to date, which I consider worthwhile to listen to besides “smooth jazz” music and “AC/DC…” 🙂
Exploring the Depth of Living 