Virginia Press - Journal Entry 5 - Justice
The guest speaker today focused in on the idea of a God coming from within, and one having ultimate power over their own destiny and the good they put into the world. He made me think a lot about my own values, and those that come from my family.
Right off the bat, Carlton made me think of my family when he introduced himself. My mother is from the other side of Atlanta and a lot of my family down that way is certainly the church-going type. Then, with the activity where we had to imagine the values we'd want to impress on our children, I really had to consider the familial attributes I choose to exemplify or exile.
Justice is a word that seems to be controversial in activities like this, for it's political connotations. In some ways, my value of justice is influenced by these politics; my family has been in law enforcement since long before I was born. However, I've developed a very nuanced opinion on several facets of what might be considered "justice" in our society. For example, I am a harsh critic of our police force and criminal justice system. Some might assume based on my stance on crime policy that I am overly forgiving or devalue justice, but this is not the case. My family's experience gives me multiple perspectives by which to base this opinion, but my insistence upon the reconciliation of this discrepancy is because of the very sense of justice instilled by my family. Equality is too important to be enforced wrong.
I just think its important to make educated intentional choices about the values you represent. Nuance and context is critical yadda yadda.
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