Inspiration:
Spirit of Life, connecting each to all, help me to remember that my every action affects the Web of Life.
Repairing the World
Acts of justice, or repairing the world…take place in much smaller, less public, ways. Perhaps today you have composted your kitchen waste or chosen to walk when you were tempted to drive, choosing small ways to protect the web of life. Maybe you pointed out to someone at work or at school that you don’t like to hear people described as “retarded.” It might be that you called your senator about internet censorship or school funding. One way or another, you may have taken some small step that nudged the arc of the moral universe in the direction of justice.
That’s the other thing I would say about justice. It shapes the future. Bringing soup to your sick neighbor is kindness. It’s important, but it’s a thing of the moment. Visiting a friend in the hospital is an entirely worthy act of compassion. But justice tries to shape the world, to make a future in which a few more pieces of our common destiny are healed. Justice, in the end, is the foundation of hope.
By REV. LYNN UNGAR, MINISTER FOR LIFESPAN LEARNING, CHURCH OF THE LARGER FELLOWSHIP TO READ MORE
My definition of justice is setting things up so mercy is unnecessary, more efficient than repairing the ravages of unjust systems. For instance, our immigration system needs reform so families aren’t split apart. The immigration issue is a political issue, best resolved through political action.
Does church belong in politics? I say no, except in the most general sense. For each end there are many different strategies. Hence people spend their time wrangling, rather than doing something, which doesn’t build community.
As well as via political action, moving toward justice can be achieved via technological innovations and creative endeavors. Traffic lights make it easy to take turns; clicker training trains animals without violence. Writing a memoir or novel elicits readers’ empathy about people unlike them.
Calling composting an act of justice opens us up to smugness. Me and my compost bin, we’re saving the planet. Compassion involves another person so it’s harder to be smug. Besides, people pay compassion forward so the world becomes a better place. Compassion thus repairs the world.