Wimps and Posers Leave the Hall
In the excerpt from Cicero’s De Republica (On Government), at the end of paragraph fifteen, Philus states that “weakness, not nature or good intention, is the mother of justice” (Cicero 126). This is a statement with which I completely and whole-heartedly agree with. But, before I go any further, I wish to give a little back-ground information about Marcus Tullius Cicero. Cicero was a well studied and versed politician and orator during the reign of Caesar, with whom he was very close friends. He got an early start in politics, studying in his teens, and “(he) took a bold course by suddenly attracting attention by undertaking the defense of a wretched victim of greed and insolence of a favourite of Sulla, then the all-powerful Dictator of Rome (80 B.C.)” (Cowell 221). He started his political career in his mid-twenties, and soon became one of Rome’s most influential figures. He used two main types of oration, those being “demonstrative (the art of praise and blame)” (www.towson.edu) and “deliberative (the art of persuading and dissuading)” (www.towson.edu). During Caesar’s reign, he was a staunch supporter of “the republican ideals that he felt represented the highest values of justice of any government in Rome” (Jacobus 119). When Caesar was assassinated Cicero distanced himself from Rome, and after his return, he was executed for his arguments against the triumvirate. The triumvirate were the leadership of the Roman Empire. They controlled the military, the senate, and the justice system. But really what is justice?
The dictionary gives us several definitions of justice, one of which is “the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments” (www.m-w.com). From this, we can take that justice is supposed to be “blind” or “unbiased” but, is this so? Today, justice is achieved through means of the Court System, which is run by man. Man, with all of his flaws, biases, and preconceptions is running an impartial system that is supposed to treat everyone equally and with respect. There seems to be a paradox here. On one hand, we have what is supposed to be perfection, the essence of holiness and divinity, but, it is being facilitated by the most corrupt species in existence at the present. We have touched on justice, but, it is a two way street, so, we must also examine “injustice.” Injustice is defined as the absence of justice. So, injustice is lack of maintenance of what is just by impartiality. From this, it is my opinion that we can safely call our “justice” system the injustice system. Why you ask? It is missing the key ingredient, impartiality, it is impartiality that knows best. Humans are easily swayed by pressure, bribes, anxiety, impatience, or any number of things, thereby tainting the purity of justice. As I said earlier, life is a two way street, which brings me to my next point.
There is a saying that “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” The same can be said for justice, “one man’s justice is another man’s hell.” A minor drug offender gets sentenced to 18 months prison while a murderer walks free. Is this just? No, minor offenders are getting slammed with penalties, while people who are an immediate threat to society get off with a slap on the wrist. Knowing full and well that your children are easy targets for both of entities, would you rather live next to a drug dealer or a serial rapist? You would probably choose to live next to the drug dealer, where there is a greater chance to protect your family. A truly just society, while greatly wished for, is an impossibility. It is impossible to please everyone at once, which is why people must do the best they can for themselves with what they have, . If a truly just society were to exist, it would have no soul. Everyone would be exactly the same, no sense of individuality, no pride, no passion, everyone would be an automaton, there would not be any diversity, which is what makes life worth living. If everyone were the same, and treated the same, it would be like having your favorite food for every meal. Sure, it would be great for a while, but then, it loses it’s appeal, everything becomes bland, you grow weary of it, and eventually, one would just stop caring. Thus, the human institution of “justice” as it stands, is perfect in every way, because it keeps people from becoming stale and complacent. Cicero firmly believed that “justice fundamentally meant giving to each his own” (Mitchell 205). “Justice” as it is today, is an exploited system used to seek revenge upon an entity, which not the purpose of justice. The purpose of justice is conflict resolution, nothing more, nothing less. But people are so insecure that they are no longer able to justify their course of action with regards to righting past wrongs.
It is the strong who are secure enough with themselves that they are able to justify their actions. Thereby, they are the ones who need justice least. The differences that exist between the weak and the strong in terms of attitude toward justice are vast. The weak are prone to to be pacifists, and just sit back and put up with injustices, and will not do anything about it afterward, while the strong will not take any unjust treatment to begin with, and if they do, they will set out to make right what was once wrong. The strong will take the law into their own hands, and have the stomach to do what must be done, and if necessary, face the consequences without complaint. However, that is not to say that you should take matters into your own hands any time that you are wronged, because that would be going against the will of God. Going against the will of God is the last thing that you want to do, because he will rain down judgment in the form of Divine Retribution. In addition, God’s will is the ultimate in justice, because God is infallible.
In the end, no matter what the circumstances, justice will be achieved whether it be through man’s perversion of justice or by means of divine intervention, and we all will receive justice, weak and strong, man and woman, law abiding citizen and criminal. It all depends upon how you live your life, how you see yourself and how you let others see you. There are no hand-me-outs in life, and that is most certainly true for justice. Justice is like capitalism, if you want it bad enough, you will work for it, and eventually, your hard work and sacrifice will pay off because as the old adage goes, “good things come to those who wait.” Granted, that you may not always attain the results hoped for, but, some results are better than no results.
Life without justice of any sort is not life, and justice without life cannot exist. Enter the human element. The world’s most corrupt, evil, and untrustworthy species. We are placed on this earth to treat each other with love, trust, and respect, but we end up fighting useless fights, being liars, and extremely prejudiced. But, that is what makes man-kind so special, and despite all of our shortcomings, we can all come together and find something to agree on. And with that unity, we separate the strong from the weak, and fight together to make the world a better place. So, yes, if you really consider the question, weakness truly is the mother of justice. Personally, I like to think of myself as a strong individual, but, if I am unable to find justice for myself, thus, making myself appear weak in the eyes of man, I can always humble myself before the Lord, and become strong through Him. It is through Him that we attain justice, which is something that we all need. We all deserve justice equally, but, it is those who are unable to accept that they are weak, and need help from a greater power that need the institution of justice the most.
Works Cited:
Cicero, Marcus Tullius. “The Defense of Injustice.” World of Ideas. Seventh Edition. Lee A. Jacobus. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2006. 126.
Cowell, F. R. Cicero and the Roman Republic. Great Britain: Pelican Books, 1967. 221.
Jacobus, Lee A. “Marcus Tullius Cicero.” World of Ideas. Seventh Edition. Lee A. Jacobus. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2006. 119.
Mitchell, Thomas N. Cicero the Senior Statesman. Chelsea: Yale UP, 1991. 205.
"Justice." Def. 1a. Merriam-Webster. 05 Dec. 2006 <www.m-w.com>.
Cicero, Marcus T. "Cicero: the Genres of Rhetoric." Towson University. Trans. John F. Tinkler. 1995. Towson University. 27 Nov. 2006 <http://www.towson.edu/~tinkler/reader/cicero.html>.
Grade Hoping for: 83
Grade Earned: (unknown)
