"Order" and "Rights" as Justice

Yesterday's blog entry was about the grounding of justice. I believe that "somehow" these two views, 'order" and "rights" are definitive of true justice. Today, I was thinking about justice and how "order and rights" defined "justice" as it involved the growth of our grandson.

My daughter called this afternoon to report on our grandchildren and their day at "pre-school". As she and I were discussing the children, I commented on how I thought that Drayton was acting with more confidence and I had heard him using consonant sounds more often. She had previously expressed concern over his not making consonant sounds And we have all been concerned over his delayed speech and this was one factor in deciding to put them in pre-school.

She disagreed with me and then started to compare him with another child in her husband's family, who is half as old. I cautioned her about making comparisons, as each child has such differences, and that true development or growth should be compared with his own "past".

I, then, started thinking about how this applies to "order" and justice. Order is structure, or universality. Whereas, much has been written on child development, most psychologists would agree that these universals cannot be so strigently understood and applied that there is little room for unique, diverse and individual children. Usually, the pediatrician depends on the parent's assessment of the child's behavior to determine if the child is acting "out of character" to determine if the child is not feeling well.

Justice is defined by law in the West. These are rules that society understands keeps "order". While "order" is society's "right", the individual also has a "right" of difference within that "order", just as Drayton's "growth" should be "gauged", measured, or evaluated within his own "past". So, true justice takes into account a person's context, present understanding, and personal maturity. All of these are considerations in our courts of law.

So, while a good and functioning society should maintain order, which is defined by the "rule of law". There is an allowance also, within good government that allows for "freedom" of individuality, expression, and conviction based upon the individual's growth. Good societies allow for this "wideness" of difference. And the wideness of difference is what human rights is all about, as it concerns the social structures that "order" life.

Justice as 'Order" or "Rights"

There is much that I say on this blog that is my personal opinion. And sometimes, it is ill-informed, but I hope that those who might come upon my error would take the time to correct it, or disagree with reasonable explaination.

One of these interests that I find stimulating and interesting is on how "justice" is grounded. Is the form of government, with its laws that determine justice, or is it about rights, whether minority or human?

The conservative holds to an ordered structure, as this is the standard whereby everything is measured. In our government, we understand that standard as the Constitution. The Constitution can be amended, but what about interpretation? The liberal believes that the Constitution is a "living" document that is to be applied to situations understanding "intent" and not just a "wooden form".

Law is what rules our land, but law has to be understood, applied, correlated to the situations. That is fascinating...as justice is important..

Governments, Morality, Law and Ethics

Government is the first and most important aspect to address in our world today, not poverty. Government is about individuality and responsible behavior. Governments which inhibit the individual's life is limiting life and one of the primary values of our country is life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Some think that poverty should be alleviated by population control. So, whichever way one views "world problems" there are no easy solutions, nor is one problem easily solvable.

Governments, Morality, Law and Ethics is what I should have entitled my last post on Ethics, Morality and Universalism. Please see my last post.

Two Sides to the Human Heart

Freedom and Justice are two desires built within each human heart. Wars and conflict happen because these two desires are at odds with each other within the heart and within social structures.

Freedom is the need to be. It is the individual seeking identity and expression. Freedom allows creativity. Freedom is found within American ideals and our Bill of Rights.

Whereas freedom is found in individuality, justice is found within the social. Justice cannot exist apart from relationship. Justice is found within our American form of government in its laws. Because our form of government affirms both liberty and justice, we are a nation of diverse opinions, and commitments.

Human rights and ethics itself is based on an understanding of justice. And sometimes justice is not understood within the confines of law, if laws are unjust means of attaining desires that subvert another's freedom. Freedom is primary, if the individual matters at all, which is what Christians and Americans affirm and believe.