Chris
McDonnell, UKchris@mcdonnell83.freeserve.co.uk
Chris
McDonnell, UK
chris@mcdonnell83.freeserve.co.uk
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welcome here
July
5, 2017
A just society comes at a price
More
and more we hear talk in the West of our unjust society, of communities
living side by side whose work and living circumstances are in stark
contrast.
We
have been driven by experience to see the fallacy of that oft-quoted
statement from October 1987 by the then Prime Minister. "I
think we've been through a period where too many people have been given to
understand that if they have a problem, it's the government's job to cope
with it. 'I have a problem, I'll get a grant.' 'I'm homeless, the
government must house me.' They're casting their problem on society. And,
you know, there is no such thing as society.
Only
too recently have individuals in our society had to rely on self-help
whilst waiting for leadership and direction. It is inevitable that in any
modern urban grouping, there will be those who have much and those who
have little. The real challenge comes when some fortunate enough to be
privileged fail to see the
plight of their neighbours and selfishly pursue their own ends. 'I
don't use the local hospital or send my children to the local school so
why should I pay towards their upkeep?'. Put in those stark terms, it
is selfishness indeed.
Yet
unless all contribute to the Common Good, the very fabric of our society
will show signs of stress; the need for those who work in the public
sector begins to be felt only in their absence. It was the title of the
1996 document issued by the hierarchy under the chairmanship of Cardinal
Hume that was widely noticed and has often been quoted.
Much
of our political exchange talks of rights and responsibilities. As we
attempt to increase our economic strength we still need to respect the
rights of those on whose work our wealth is built. Questions of justice
run through such discussions. We have only to remember the political
struggle to establish a minimum wage and to examine the present
exploitation of zero-hours contracts to realise that social balance is
only obtained by the determined voice of many opposing the selfish
interests of a few.
The
symbol of Justice, so often associated with Court buildings, is that of a
blind-folded woman with outstretched arms. She holds the pans of balance
scales in one hand and a sword in the other. The scale pans represent her
willingness to consider both sides of an argument, the sword her power to
achieve justice and her blind-folded eyes, her impartiality.
It
is imperative that justice is exercised in public, in order that anyone
with an interest has the right to hear the argument and, through that
hearing, appreciate the honesty of the judgement. One
of the signs that a country is governed in a totalitarian manner is when
there are attempts to
interfere with the work of the courts. The work of Amnesty International
in recent years has given voice to the many miscarriages of justice where
those imprisoned can no longer speak for themselves. They have indeed been
'a
voice crying in the wilderness'
It
is no accident of language that the word 'Justice' is often associated
with 'Peace', for they are closely related. Injustice leads to disquiet
and disturbance; without evident awareness
of justice, there can be no peace. Is there a Justice and Peace group in
your Parish?
We
only have to reflect on the racial injustice of the American South prior
to the 1960s to realise the consequences of an unjust society. Speaking
recently, the US Civil Rights leader, Jesse Jackson, now in his 70s, used
the analogy of two seeds growing either side of a wall to describe disparity.
While one grows and bears fruit, the other fails to
develop.
“It doesn’t mean the taller one is better, it means it has access to
sunshine. When the walls come down they can both realise their potential.
Walls lead to ignorance, and fear, hatred and violence. We must pull down
those walls".
Wherever
walls are built between peoples, there are those who benefit from the
sunshine and those who are left in the dim light of shadow. it was true in
Berlin, it is still true in Israel and, if the US president has his way,
will be true on the Mexico-US border.
Justice
comes at a price, an understanding of need and a selfless response. That
is the essence of society, mutual
support for each other, a duty of care for those whose voice is too weak
to be heard.
'This is mine' has to have added to it 'but I will share it with you'
END