It occurred to me that a lot of words we use represent abstractions, ideals to be striven toward which have no actual foundation in the world. Justice seems a good one. We've all been hearing it or saying it for years – “with liberty and justice for all” - such brazen malarkey. Even the concept of justice requires oppression – a higher power presiding over us meting out punishment or reward. Yet this is the pinnacle of society's hopes. We assume it our birthright and justification for all manner of violations. This word keeps the rabble confused and on an endless scavenger hunt, trying to locate it so we may stand under and be subjected to its purifying power. You, too, can receive justice, my son.
Lately the search has been refined. Now we're looking for “social justice.” Many of us still searching for the regular kind must look up from the old quest and move to a new one, having received no instruction for how to tell one from the other. Just my luck, now I'll probably find plain old justice. I wonder if it still works. But hey – maybe I can pretend it's social justice and nobody will be the wiser.
One useful ability would be to recognize crumbs when we see it. Crumbs from the giant cake eaters above us who need not waste their time searching for justice, lacking any need of the stuff. It's not for them. They strive for real things. To them it's just ice.
No comments:
Post a Comment