Once upon a time…
In a galaxy not so far away, Cosmo had taken an interplanetary space flight to visit his new friend, Plexi. While Plexi was showing him the wonders of his home planet, Cosmo tripped over and bumped his head on a sphere laying on the path. Upon impact, the sphere opened up, and out jumped a tiny little man. The little man had an enormous lump on his head and was hopping mad!
Plexi was horrified, the blood drained from his face and his complexion paled. Before Cosmo could even get a word out to apologise, two enormous, bio-electric peacekeeping androids appeared. They each had small devices that scanned the immediate area. Then, from one of the devices, a small metal card emerged. One of the uniformed droids presented the card to the little man. Without a word they grabbed Cosmo and the little man and whisked them away at top speed.
Before he knew it, Cosmo was locked up inside a large sphere with the little man and a very serious-looking droid dressed in a black robe. The droid spoke: “Go ahead”. Without hesitation the little man gave Cosmo a lusty blow to the head. The droid took out another device, checked Cosmo’s throbbing head, and issued him with a small metal card.
“Too hard. It is now your turn. Do not exceed the force stamped on the card.”
Cosmo had no idea what was happening. Panicking, he quickly looked around. Through the transparent walls he could see numerous other spheres. Each sphere contained a robed droid and various people hitting and pushing each other while clutching at little metal cards. The little man stood wide-eyed before Cosmo, trembling in anticipation.
The droid spoke: “You may hit him. Remember, no more than on the card”
Cosmo protested. “You don’t understand, it was an accident” he pleaded.
The droid explained: “This is a process of perfect justice. Remain calm. You will both receive exactly the same harm you have caused. If one exceeds the specified limit, you will receive another card with the exact value required for justice to be equalised.”
Perfect justice? That sounded great on the surface. No one could come out worse than anyone else, and everyone would suffer what they had made others suffer. Cosmo was surprised at how advanced they were on this planet. He was so keen tell Plexi that he ran towards the door.
“You may not leave,” said the droid, blocking his way. “You must complete the process. You must spend the points on your card.”
Cosmo was pensive. He had no desire at all to hurt the poor little man any further, even though it was true that the little guy had really given him a shiner.
“It’s fine. I forgive him,” said Cosmo.
“No. You must use the points on your card. This is a process of perfect justice.” Repeated the droid.
Astonished, Cosmo wondered how it could be impossible to forgive someone? Defiantly Cosmo tore the card in two, and announced, “Look! Now there are no points left. I forgive you for using more force than was necessary.”
The droid appeared to malfunction. It began emitting smoke and whistling noises. Lights lit up all over its’ body. Cosmo took a step back. Just when it appeared the droid was about to explode, it returned to normal, and quietly said: “It is correct. Now you may leave. Thank you for using the system of perfect justice.”
The door opened to Plexi waiting eagerly. As Como went to move, he realised the little man was now hanging off his right leg, gushing praise and many thank yous as though Cosmo had just saved his life.
On leaving the sphere, Cosmo began to understand. All around he could see perfect justice system users strewn out on camp beds, battered and exhausted. Plexi explained that the main problem with the perfect justice system was that it was almost impossible to give out the exact amount of equal punishment. The judgments and exchanges of blows could end up going on for many days. So scared was everyone of ending up in the justice process, that many people lived isolated lives inside small glass spheres, just like the little man Cosmo had fallen on.
Cosmo completed his trip and returned home. From that day, Plexi’s planet would remain forever changed. Previously, no one had ever forgiven anyone for anything. Thanks to Cosmo, they discovered that forgiveness is a necessary part of justice.
“There is no greater tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of the law and in the name of justice.”
― Montesquieu
Moral of the Story:
Forgiveness is not about forgetting. It’s about letting go of another person’s throat. Forgiveness is the only way to break the cycle of blame-and-pain in a relationship. It doesn’t settle all questions of blame and justice, but it does allow the relationship to start over. Unless people speak the truth about what they have done and choose to change their mind and behaviour, a relationship of trust is not possible. When you forgive someone you release them from judgment, but without true change, no real relationship can be established. Justice is truth in action.
Ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have. Justice is conscience, not so much a personal conscience, but the conscience of humanity as a whole. Those who clearly recognise the voice of their own conscience will also recognise the voice of justice. The Feather of Truth can sense falsehood or illusion, so it’s important to regularly weigh things up to see who or what is left wanting and who reciprocates respect in your life. Justice can make ties legal and binding, or break ties that no longer serve the people involved. Your understanding of justice will show you who you are and how things are being made fair in their own way in your life.
“Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.”
― William Penn
Affirmation: I authentically and courageously speak up for myself and find power in forgiveness.
I am the architect of my life; I build its foundation and choose its content. I forgive myself and all others for not being the way I wanted them to be. I forgive those who have harmed me in my past and peacefully detach from them. A river of compassion washes away my anger and replaces it with love. My ability to conquer challenges is limitless; my potential to succeed is infinite. Today, I abandon my old habits and take up new, more positive ones. I acknowledge my own self-worth and my confidence is soaring. Everything that is happening now is balancing out karmic justice and happening for my ultimate good. My efforts are being supported by the just universe; my dreams manifest into reality before my eyes.
“There is a higher court than courts of justice, and that is the court of conscience. It supersedes all other courts.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
