Many years ago I had three small children.
As they were growing up they would sometimes get into squabbles. I don’t think they ever got into any physical altercations and I don’t think they ever hurt each other—at least not intentionally. However, if there was a difference of opinion, or if one of them believed he/she was being treated unfairly, they would come running to me to find justice.
Therein would lie the dilemma for me. In order for me to mete out justice, I needed to get testimony from all parties involved, even if one was only a bystander. I had to take into account that each party would intensify and magnify the wrong that had been perpetrated, while minimizing the part s/he had played.
I had to determine who was the usual perpetrator in previous scraps. It was necessary to think about the character of each child and which one was most likely to be the perpetrator and which one was likely to be the victim. I needed to be impartial. I had to use all of these measures to find the truth before I could pass judgment. And the truth was usually found somewhere in the middle.
I’ve never been a judge in a courtroom and I’ve never served on a jury. I think, though, that the same measures need to be used in order to find the truth and dole out justice in the public arena.
A lot of chaotic events are happening in the world today. Thankfully, we don’t need to judge the outcomes. But we do form our own individual opinions.
We probably need to get information from all parties involved. We need to determine if there is any exaggeration by one party or the other. What is one party’s history of being an instigator? What is the integrity of the parties involved?
And what is the integrity of the news sources? How many sources do you watch, listen to, read? How do you decide which one(s) are transmitting the truth? Are you being impartial in seeking the truth, even if it goes against your preconceived idea?
When Jesus was being condemned to death, Pontius Pilate asked, “What is truth?”
I believe the truth is found in Jesus and His teachings. How do the actions of the people involved in these chaotic events line up with the teachings of Jesus? Maybe that is a better criterion for forming an opinion.
And, maybe, we should judge our own actions by how well we follow Jesus’s teachings.
Dorothy is the author of two books—“Miles and Miracles” and “Getting It All Together “. You can purchase a book or make a comment by emailing her at dorothybutzknight@gmail.com
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