Act kindly while rendering justice

I recently heard these children sing at a conference an invocation song at the the inaugural function. The theme of the song was love, justice and unity. It was a most appropriate song for a conference which had delegates from about 13 states of India. I wondered why the organisers chose to have an exclusive girl's choir sing this! One of the organizers told me at the tea time, the women represented the theme of love, justice and unity better.

I have been wondering whether we will feel united in our society by anything at all considering that caste, religion, economic status, educational achievements, social class....etc. divide us so badly that people are almost venomous in their approach towards those who differ with them.

I came across what girls of a school have been doing in a rural area about eight kilometres from the school. As an activity of the social service club, these girls visit the senior citizens's home in that village twice a week to help them with their bath, washing, cooking, shopping, visiting, etc. They read newspapers to those who cannot read due to failing sight. They dust and clean the house and premises. They even feed them if they are bed bound. This school has been doing this for over five years now. This village was at the edge of a larger village, and therefore suffered without regular electric supply, which was partly addressed by the initiatives of the school. 

Now, volunteers  from the main village have begun to offer similar help to their neighbours. Another two schools are doing similarly in two other villages.

We need to promote integration and collegiality by several acts of kindness. Our people need to experience inner healing, before they can offer kindness to others. 

Our media is constantly bashing the guilty and accused. There is very little effort to help those who are involved in crime to live and act differently. Accusing a wrong doer is only one aspect of justice; the other aspect of justice is that the wrong doer is redeemed by acts of kindness and personal support, while undergoing punishment. That is how we restore him and enable him or her to live justly and fairly. Every person has a conscience which is subject to revision and renewal. This is why counselling and correctional therapy will be most necessary as a therapeutic component of justice system.

Rendering justice is good jurisprudence; but restoring the offender to fullness of life is healing, which represents the compassionate dimension of justice.

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)