I have heard it said that American justice is a lot like revenge in some cases. Sometimes you wonder if the injured party has revenge in mind rather than justice. This can be dangerous if a person is wrongly accused and then convicted due to the injured party’s desire to get even for the wrong committed. Sometimes a bitter person might wrongly accuse someone of something just to get them in trouble in revenge for something else. Some people are so hot headed about justice they are blind to the facts and others should likely learn to forgive.
I have pondered why they charge drunk drivers who kill someone accidentally with unintentional homicide when it is an accident and there were other people involved in making it happen. For example, should not the bartender or the person who sold the drunk driver the liquor be held responsible as they allowed this person the means to kill the victim? Should not the government be held responsible for allowing liquor to be legal? In the case of where the driver got the drink, the bartender should be held responsible if he sold that much drink and let them drive home. The government should pay a sum to the family from the revenue from liquor licenses. Even the person who manufactures liquor likely should be held responsible to some degree. After all, why blame one person for something when many people were involved in the process?
I also ponder the fairness of justice. It is not likely that it will always be fair. After all, your boss demands you be to work on time and if you speed you can be ticketed and might be fired when you get to work. However if you are late, you will likely be fired as well–so how can this be fair? How about fining the boss for demanding promptness when everyone knows human beings cannot always be on time? Unfortunately, justice and fairness do not walk hand in hand at all times and people will suffer who don’t need to.
Is justice love? Not really, as it is punishment for a wrong. Forgiveness is a function of love but justice is a function of humanity’s desire to keep people in line. Perhaps we should bring justice, fairness, and love together and see if we can get a better outcome. After all, mercy is a good thing according to Christian religion and it shows that we are not all spoiled brats trying to get even with each other. If there was a wrong committed that is solvable first by discussion then it should be solved that way, not by punishment or violence. If it is not, then let what is in the best interests of most of the people be done.
Don’t make justice revenge, it does not always have to be punishment. Sometimes it is best to solve things in a more reasonable fashion than to always be ready to strike at someone who does wrong or what is assumed to be wrong.