No Justice, No Peace,

Know Justice, Know Peace

Such is the familiar rallying cry during protests. It’s a message to the powers that be, that a change must come, for peace to reign. Until then there will be no peace.

Since the birth of the nation, America has not known justice and consequently has not known true peace. We’ve only had temporary illusions of peace while maintaining a culture of blatant injustices against the impoverished and minorities.

America was built on bloodshed and slave labor. Violence is as American as baseball and apple pie. It was even approved by the Catholic, and “white” Evangelical Church. We celebrate defend, justify, and rationalize the use of violence at the highest levels and champion Americans who are willing to engage via military service.

We support our troops in theory but abandon them once we’ve used them to defend the wealth and power of wealthy, powerful, “white” males. After all, the Constitution itself was written by, and for, powerful, wealthy land-owning, “white” males.

We sell war as an act of patriotism and something to be proud of, and yet many pay the price of PTSD, loss of limbs, and even life itself, either in battle or be it self-inflicted. This, while the rich find ways to avoid such “patriotism,” and folks like Donald Trump, can draft the dodge 6 times, disrespect POWs, find posing with disfigured veterans distasteful, and question why anyone would serve in the first place.   

While some conflicts may have legitimacy for a righteous cause, I would argue that the majority manipulate the lower-class masses, who lack opportunity for societal advancement, into doing America’s dirty work.  

While African Americans have fought to participate in the armed forces to “defend” their country, they have historically returned from the battlefield only to be antagonized by their racist Anglo-American counterparts and have even been beaten and lynched for “having the audacity to wear the uniform.” African Americans have proven their love for America while America has failed to love them in return.

We turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the abuse of authority by the police, especially when the victim is a minority. The silent belief that we have been conditioned into believing is that it is a necessity, and someone has to do it.

Our society has accepted the narrative of “keeping ‘those people’ in their place, for the good of society. We have weaponized the police as a kill squad and the Karens and Kens of the community have used this weapon for generations and continue to do so. These are the former slave patrols of the south and militias of the north and the traditional mentality is still very much in place in police culture and FOP unions.

We rarely hear about any consequences for the 911 callers shedding “white tears” when mobilizing the kill squads.

We have been a nation of double standards. We have one set of rules for wealthy “white” males and another for everyone else. Impoverished people of color have been and continue to be at the bottom of that totem pole when it comes to seeing justice and opportunity for progress, and military service becomes a reachable option.  

America can seem bi-polar, and full of hypocrisy. It has its good side but also can have a Jekyll and Hyde persona. We love the fantasy of the flawless good guy America while ignoring that it also has its problems, like any other place on the planet, and any other people group in this fallen sin-ridden world.

Recognizing that a problem exists is the first step toward change.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace and His counterpart, Satan, is the author of evil. Add to that equation that we are ALL born with a sin nature running as a background app, we have a formula for mass destruction.

So how do we move toward knowing justice and thereby knowing peace? Through transformation by the renewing of your mind.

It starts with the individual, the man/woman in the mirror. We are constantly faced with choices, choices to engage in acts of anger and violence or we can gravitate toward the greater angels of our nature and choose peace. We can walk away from fools or engage in acts of costly stupidity.      

It’s not always an easy choice. It tends to be a supernatural leaning in the opposite direction of our sin nature moving toward the essence of God’s Love. For the Christian, it is where the rubber meets the road. It’s the Spirit-filled life, beyond the spirit indwelt life.

Our prisons are filled with folks who made emotionally based decisions that felt right in the moment. Now, they have years to examine over and over the scenario that cost them their freedom.

“How many minutes?” Asked the old timer doing life to the young buck recently incarcerated.

“How many minutes?” repeated the confused young man. “How many minutes for what?” 

“How many minutes?” The old timer asks again.

“How many minutes what, old man?” Asks the young hothead.

 “How many minutes did it take for you to throw your life away and trade in your freedom for living the next several years in a cage? Was it 15, 7, 3? How many minutes, young blood?”

Peace is one of the 9 fruits of the Spirit. It stands on the opposite side of our default sin nature. Studies show that we cannot access the emotional side of our brains and the rational thinking part of our brains simultaneously.

Peace is a supernatural choice. And justice is a payoff.

Know Justice, Know Peace.