“If you are neutral in situations
of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” -Desmond
Tutu
I saw this quote today on a friend's blog. This sums up my thinking about why my husband and I got involved in trying to fix a certain problem in the community that is about kids. We stepped up in a time of need into a mess that was larger than we knew. If we knew it would get as bad as it has, we may have never stepped up. I have not blogged about this situation to date.
This has escalated to a point where things have reached a level that I never thought they would. This is a level where I am advised by counsel not blog about it. So, even if I was ready or wanted to share the story, I can't.
But what I can do is share the above quote as it sums up the entire situation. My husband and I are people who do not stand by in situations of injustice. Others have asked why we don't just run and hide from problems, we just can't. We feel when there is injustice that someone with a good heart and good intentions needs to stand up for what is right and just. So that's why we are doing what we do.
Please also excuse if my blog is spotty at times. This situation has consumed us for the last three months and taken many hours of our time, but I have not hinted, until today, as to what has been distracting me. You still don't know what it is, but if you are of like mind about injustice, or want to support people who do the right thing say a prayer for us or send positive thoughts our way. We can use them. Thank you.
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2 comments:
I will be sending positive thoughts your way. I feel the same way. I can stay indifferent to injustice.
But when every human being takes that quote to justify their own vision of justice, violence can be the outcome. Depending upon our cultural roots and our personal upbringing, my perspective of right and wrong might be very different from yours.
Mr. Tutu also said, "There are different kinds of justice. Retributive justice is largely Western. The African understanding is far more restorative - not so much to punish as to redress or restore a balance that has been knocked askew."
And there is a danger in using quotes such as these without understanding the deeper philosophy behind it. I go back to Mr. Tutu again to illustrate this idea:
"We may be surprised at the people we find in heaven. God has a soft spot for sinners. His standards are quite low."
So can we move towards equanimity without hard ideas about 'right' and 'wrong'? Justice is a very difficult word to define and it can be misused.
Terrible things have been done in the name of justice.
"Out beyond the ideas of rightdoing and wrongdoing there is a field. I'll meet you there. " ~Rumi
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