This is posted by Akkarin on behalf of Senan. We thank him for his contribution!
Inequity, Iniquity, and Justice
in•iq•ui•ty noun
1.immoral or grossly unfair behavior.
in•eq•ui•ty noun
1.lack of fairness or justice.
jus•tice noun
1.just behavior or treatment.
To begin any conversation about justice, we must be honest with ourselves. Life is not fair. We, as human beings, are not equal. As members of the animal kingdom, we are certainly not equal. We, even as Jedi, are not equal. Some are born taller, faster, or stronger than others. Some are born into wealth while others are born into poverty. Despite our best efforts to be “equal”, true equality is impossible. This does not have to be a bad thing.
Allow me to share an example. A baby is born missing his right hand. His parents are tempted to scream “This isn’t fair! What did we do to deserve this? Why must our child suffer?” The answer is not one that is easily accepted. It is because life isn’t fair. But, must this child actually suffer?
This baby was born as physically unequal to his peers. There is an inequity here. That is a fact of his life. What is also a fact of his life is that this inequity would result in iniquity from others. This was a lesson hard learned by this child.
When he expressed an interest in sports, his father suggested soccer (he is American). It seemed like a reasonable choice considering the circumstances, but the boy wanted to play baseball. More than that, he wanted to be a pitcher. He was laughed at and he was mocked. He chose to look past the inequity, ignore the iniquity of others who discriminated against him, and he started to practice. And he practiced a lot.
When it came time to play his first Little League game, he propped his glove on the stump where his right hand should be, took the pitcher’s mound, and proceeded to throw a no-hitter. He went on to high school and played well enough to be named to the U.S. National Team. His career took him to Cuba where he defeated the heavily favorited Cuban National Team in front of Fidel Castro, and then moved on to pitch for numerous Major League Baseball teams including the California Angels and New York Yankees. In 1993 while a Yankee, he pitched a no hitter versus the Cleveland Indians while throwing fast balls clocked at over 90 miles per hour.
When he retired, Jim Abbott wrote a book titled “Imperfect: An Improbable Life”. In his book, he explained that accepting his imperfection and ignoring the negativity allowed him to find something he loved and go after it with all of his heart. Accepting the inequity and ignoring the iniquity of others allowed him to earn justice from people throughout his life. He was treated fairly by Major League Baseball and the teams that hired him. He was respected by his fellow competitors. He was considered an equal, despite the inequity.
As Jedi, we seek justice. It is our 2nd Maxim. Justice: To always seek the path of ‘right’. Behaving justly in certain situations is often an elusive goal, but a Jedi must accept the inequities of life and diligently seek to eliminate iniquity in others. A Jedi should be knowledgeable in order to make informed decisions about any matter of “right” or “wrong”. A Jedi should represent and defend those who are not capable of seeking justice on their own. A Jedi should not turn their back on iniquity or allow it to be disguised behind lies. A Jedi should appropriately weigh each side of an issue to determine the just response. Should said response require swift and forceful action, a Jedi must be fearless in its execution.
We are Jedi. We are instruments of peace. Peace can be achieved through the proper application of justice. We must not forget this.
