Thoughts on justice and mercy and forgiveness

[xiphias]

A friend of mine is doing some musing about forgivness in his livejournal -- it's friends-only, so I won't mention who it is, or link to it. It was triggered by this essay.

I had some realizations about forgivness, which I copy here in order to have in my own livejournal, for my own reference.

1. "Forgiveness" is the process of cutting away the importance of something. You can forgive an action, which means that you have cut away the emotional resonance and the importance of the action. You can forgive a person, which means that you have cut away the emotional resonance and the importance of the person. This is why I generally forgive actions, not people. . .


2. "Forgiveness" does, therefore, involve "letting someone off the hook" for something they did, or for something they are. This may seem unfair, and unjust. It is unjust. It is merciful. "Mercy" is the opposite of "justice", and the world needs both, balanced, in order to survive.


3. "Mercy" is never deserved. If it was deserved, it would be justice, not mercy.

Some things I am still pondering: is "mercy" always unjust? It is clear that the converse is not true.

Comments

[mswae.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure that I would say forgiveness is always unjust. As preachermanfeed pointed out, forgiveness is an internal thing. One might finally forgive, for example, a good friend for dying. This is neither merciful, nor just, (nor is it unmerciful or unjust) -- it's internal to the one doing the forgiving, because he/she is the one hurt in the first place.

I think the balancing element is compassion. Both mercy and justice can be harsh, or blind. They are verdicts. Compassion, and by this I do not mean mushy empathy, is a careful, thoughtful understanding of the whole picture. It can involve elements of both justice and mercy, and can involve the consequences of your decision. In other words, it involves wisdom.

So, a wholly compassionate mercy, in a sense, is justice at it's highest ideal. From the idea that, in society, we are all connected and affected by each other, there is no truly merciful answer that is not just.

Of course, I also think that, while striving for it makes us better people, we cannot attain that ideal. Which is why we are lucky to have a truly all-encompassing, all merciful, all just G-d to be that wise toward us.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

I think I see what you're getting at, but I'm not sure I agree.

I see it more simply, perhaps less nuanced-ly. To me, "justice" is blind -- it is a simple weighing of the situation and acting appropriately. "Mercy" is sighted -- it sees pain, even the pain of those who do wrong, and wishes to alieviate it.

"Compassion" is understanding how people feel. "Feeling with" someone. And that can lead to mercy, or to justice, but, hopefully, leads to a balanced application of both in the right amounts.

I believe that G-d has attributes of Justice (Din or Gevurah) and of Mercy (Hesed). And they are separate attributes.

And I believe that we can influence which way G-d leans, in judging us. That's why, on Yom Kippur, we beg to be judged in Hesed, and not Din. If our begging had no effect, why do it?