Hey y’all, it’s your friendly neighborhood bisexual Satanist, Nick. I’m back to give you another lesson in Satanism and the tenets I have adopted to live by. The tenets are a guiding force for how to live in our best way possible, while also allowing others to do the same. The struggle for justice is a battle that humanity has been involved in since its earliest beginnings. Our country was founded by people who fled the injustices of one country to be able to love the way they chose and wanted their companions to do so as well. They escaped religious and political persecutions to forage a new life in a world they knew nothing about and thought was the perfect breeding ground for those ideals. What they did not know is that their own pursuit would subjugate the justice and liberties of those people who already inhabited this country.
Justice is important but it is also a word that is often misunderstood or misrepresented. There will be times in which seeking justice will require looking outside the laws of man and his institutions, in order for it to prevail. So let’s dive right into it with this week’s article called, The Art of Justice: The Struggle to Live with Ever Changing Laws.
Struggle for justice
Justice. There are few words that can be so divisive as justice. If you were to ask 100 people their definition of it, it would be surprising if any gave exactly the same answer. However, justice is core to the fabric of existence and it is one of those things that are extremely worth fighting for, especially once we all agree on the definition of the word — based on the situation it is involved in. So how do we define this theory? Let’s take a look.
Justice is a set of right behaviors or treatments towards others and yourself. In law, justice is often the result of someone who broke a law. It is the outcome that has been predetermined based on a particular infraction of a rule. If you are driving through a school zone and the speed limit is 20 miles an hour and you’re pulled over for doing 50 in that zone, the justice you are handed is a ticket for your infraction. But there are also things like karmic justice where if someone wrongs you in a specific way, they often have to “pay for it” in a fashion that can cause a learning experience.
The easiest way of looking at justice is to think of how it builds on the previous tenet of acting in compassion and empathy. Fighting for what is right is a fundamental pursuit of humanity. if someone hurts another person, seeking a fair justice is expected. That justice doesnt mean to inflict a similar harm to make the lesson known, it is actually a much smaller act. If my words hurt someone, the correct pursuit of justice is to undo that hurt I caused. I need to look at the pain my words caused and make amends to them.That means understanding how they affected that person and working to not cause it again. That is justice in its most basic form.
Pursuit of justice
Just about everything crumbles under the weight of time. No law or institution is immune from this progression. As I sit here, almost 50, I have seen so many laws struck down that we never thought would move — looking at the republicans who overturned Roe V. Wade. Our pursuit of justice should not stop at the current laws or institutions.
The fight for fairness and equality should be prioritized and, at times, will require working above or around laws and institutions. Also, working to change those laws and institutions is part of this process. It means that to achieve justice for oursleves, all peoples, and the world, we cannot simply and blindly follow rules without question. Justice is also not a one time fight that is over once it is achieved. For every victory of justice, there are two more that need to be addressed.
In theory
Today, we are seeing how large groups of people stand in opposition to the transgender community and immigrants. There are people with very strongly held religious beliefs who feel very differently about these groups than many others do. They often stand behind faith as to why something is good or bad and become immovable because they feel that some Magical Sky Daddy has reign over fairness. The truth is that fairness is elusive and unattainable, it is a state that is subject to a person’s thoughts and teachings. But there are things that go above those held beliefs.
Why do so many people stand against transgender people? The biggest excuse is religion and if that is questioned, those who hold that belief are quite to quip how they have protection under the Constitution. They feel if it goes against their tightly held beliefs, they should not have to accept them as real. We wont go into all of the things that are propagating such hatred towards people who have no bearing on anyone else’s way of life, only focus on the second tenet and its relation to this.
Every person has the right to live, be loved, and exist without fear of others. If a person or group stands in the way of that, they are acting in an unjust way. It is our duty to combat that so that everyone of us can life safely and to our fullest. This topic borders on the third tenet, also, and will be revisited there, also.
In action
The best place to see where people fight for justice, regardless of laws and institutions, is with advocacy groups. We already see groups who advocate for equal rights for marginalized communities. Those groups are working to actively change laws in our country that stand in the way of those marginalized communities and their lives. These are groups, often aided by lawyers, who are working diligently to try to change laws to accept those who are different and allow their protection under our ideal of justice.
We have to remember that a great many of our laws were written in a time that did not have to face some of the challenges we have today. In the past, laws were not setup to protect many minorities and as such, many lived in hiding while those that could not hide faced the persecutions head on. We need to be the ones who advocate for those laws to change. That requires us getting out and doing our part. Make sure you are registered to vote, you are informed about bills, laws and such on local ballots and turning up to vote. Standing up for those fights against injustice so our voices are heard and offer support when and where you can.
Change is needed
Justice is a concept that goes beyond the laws and institutions of man. It is a basic right each of us is a part of and need to be a part of to fight for. We cannot expect others to take our points of view into consideration when laws are being formulated and put into action. We must be a part of that process. If current laws dont see the injustice at play, we must do our part to bring it to light, regardless of current laws or institutions protecting those laws. This doesnt mean we need to take destructive means to do so, but fully invest ourselves into following procedures that are in place and exercising our voices on what is important for all humanity.
How does this tenet resonate with you? Do you agree with its sentiment and its importance? Are their injustices you see that need to be changed? Let me know in the comments below. It is our place and right to question the laws and rules we are subjected to follow. We must do so, it is also our given right.
Gay in the CLE 