HOW TO BRING OUR NATION BACK INTO PROPER BALANCE

Why justice is the ultimate balancer and healer of societal ills

In no way am I a pop culture insider. While I love music, I’m not a music industry insider either. Having said that, this lawsuit against Diddy, that was settled within 24 hours and prompted additional lawsuits, grabbed my attention and I haven’t been able to look away. Not that I ever try to turn a blind eye to injustice, it’s just that there is only so much I can absorb at one time. But when I scrolled upon a summary of this lawsuit against Diddy, I felt my stomach tighten and my chest collapse. While this did not trigger any personal trauma, I felt the horror and gravity of the allegations. And per the social media algorithm, I proceeded to receive more video commentary about Diddy and his penchant for deviance. All I could think about was the need for justice. Not mere accountability but justice.

What’s the difference between accountability and justice? If you are like me, looking up these two exact words in the dictionary can be frustrating because the root of the words, just and account, are used to define the terms. And we’re not supposed to define a word by using the word. So I’m going to use the root words as the basis for my commentary. According to dictionary.com:

Account is defined as an explanatory statement of conduct, as to a superior. Just is defined as means given or awarded rightly; deserved, as a sentence, punishment or reward. Just also means based on right; rightful; lawful.

So accountability is core to achieving justice but is not sufficient in and of itself. In the United States, we often view justice through the lens of our criminal justice system and our overall legal system. Our justice system is not the only means of achieving justice. However it is our constitutionally ordained means of addressing and settling grievances. Our laws, rather our just laws, as per St. Augustine an unjust law is no law at all, serve as the boundaries for the values that we as a nation purport to espouse.

However when those boundaries are overrun, society becomes imbalanced. We lose our sense of what is fair and equitable. Or what is fair and equitable no longer matters to those in power. That’s why justice is the ultimate balancer for society. Even the symbolism of Lady Justice reflects this need for balance. The scales of justice not only represent equal treatment under the law and weighing facts/evidence to arrive at a verdict, it symbolizes the “duty to restore balance to society.”

While this may all sound like some lofty ideal, justice is not some abstraction. Justice is palpable. Justice facilitates healing for all parties involved including victims, defendants and those ultimately convicted. How exactly does justice facilitate healing? For victims, it often provides the closure needed to move forward with their lives. For defendants rightfully acquitted, they can move forward having cleared their names. For defendants rightfully convicted, if they are truly remorseful, they can begin the internal rehabilitation required to chart a better path forward for themselves.

In addition to the parties involved, justice facilitates healing for society. An individual case of injustice does not merely hover over one person or one set of plaintiffs. Injustice looms over society at large. Dr. King said that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Think about what happens when one home is burglarized? The entire neighborhood is on heightened alert. Everyone holds their breath until a suspect is apprehended but no one completely rests until the actual burglar is brought to justice.