Justice

I don't know if anyone would ever describe me as a 'friendly' person.

At my best, I can be a bit of a socialite, making small talk with lots of people and getting to know everyone. Networking; getting contacts; whatever you want to call it.

Yet in my darker moments I can also be quite the introvert, and would be happier alone in the corner with my headphones in my ears.

First impressions can be pretty misleading with people like me, because until you actually get to know me, you wouldn't really know the full extent of my personality.

Recently back at university, political philosophy has been wreaking havoc on my mind and my conscience.

I used to think that I was a person who believed in justice; that all men got what was coming to them. In my eyes, karma was an all-powerful, omnipresent vehicle of justice.

But lately I've come to realise that perhaps 'justice' isn't quite as synonymous with 'retribution' or 'revenge' as I would have liked to believe.

Is handing out punishment to ones enemies really the definition of a 'just' man?

Maybe the vengeful streak I possess in the name of love and honesty isn't as justified as I previously thought, if it involves hurting someone else, no matter how deserving of their punishment I might consider them.

It's also rather conflicting with my religious views and the Wiccan Rede; is there really any situation where causing harm is justified?

These questions of justice and the ethics of revenge were spawned from an earlier question I asked myself: am I really a nice, or 'friendly', person?

Like anyone, I have my own idiosyncratic personality flaws, but for the most part I have a strong moral fibre, and I tend to treat others how I'd like to be treated (there are notable exceptions to this rule but by my standards I consider them justified).

Even if I don't particularly warm to someone, I try to treat them with due human civility, even if it's a little on the cold side.

What scares me is that once upon a time, the non-reciprocation of these actions would have bothered me.

These days, I'm just too tired to care.

Maybe 'friends' are over-rated, or maybe I've just always had a skewed definition of the word.

Sooner or later, people who don't want to be in your life will leave; kicking and screaming, or silently slinking off into the darkness.

Either way, take some solace in that you'll never go unnoticed.

"There's a danger in starting a fire; you'll never how many bridges you'll burn" - A Day To Remember