If you see yourself as a believer in justice, as dedicated to the fight against oppression and exploitation, ask yourself: What is the biggest justice? What is the purpose of the fight against oppression and exploitation?
The answer can probably only be as follows: The preservation of human life, ideally of all life, in dignity and self-determination.
After all, this is what the whole focus on justice, equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging is all about.
This is what the fight against genocide, ethnic cleansing, slavery, hunger, poverty and suffering is all about.
This is what the fight for freedom, democracy, morality and human liberty is all about.
This is what the entirety of the human rights project has been about – from as long as we can culturally remember, no matter where on the political spectrum you stand.
Countless of advocates for justice and peace have known that human life is precious, that we deserve to have rights, to have dignity, to live in peace and harmony with each other.
But if you believe this, you need to believe this all the way.
This means that you cannot prioritize one individual over another, one group over another; you need to make sure that wherever possible, your principles are kept, steadfastly.
Now, I am not a pacifist. I believe that when you are attacked, you have a right to defend yourself.
But this defense has to be guided by rules: you have be more moral in your fight than your attacker. You cannot seek out to kill, to hurt, to violate, to cause pain; you can only do it in so far as it is necessary to prevent harm from yourself or others.
You need to always, always look to the future and see in your current enemy a future ally and friend. This needs to be your maxim: Avoid to do harm at all cost.
This means to get your own house in order. Your principles need to outweigh your frustration, your desire for retribution: you need to seek justice, not revenge.
If you want to create a just world, you need to act justly; if you seek to end oppression, you must not be an oppressor; if you seek to end exploitation, you must not be an exploiter; if you seek freedom, you need to let others be free, and so on. If you cannot live according to your highest principles, you have already failed.
It is perfectly alright to support others in their desire for justice and freedom. But you need to hold them to the same standards as you would hold yourself also.
You cannot support those who deliberately seek out to kill, rape, torture, kidnap, or destroy. You cannot support those who would not support the same freedoms as you take for granted.
There is a reason that in most religions, especially in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the prime right for vengeance is reserved to God. There is a reason murder and all the other crimes I spoke about are forbidden.
Human rights are true absolutely. If you claim to fight for them, you need to also respect them during your fight. And if you do not claim to fight for them, then your fight is not just.
So, if you claim to be on the side of humanity, on the side of justice, on the side of human dignity, ask yourself: Who represents my values more than others? And how can I convince those others to join me?
We are all imperfect, we are all still in need of growth and improvement. All of life is a series of erratic attempts at being a better person.
One thing we cannot do if we want to seek justice and peace: We must not hate. We must not spread hatred. We must not promote those who spread hatred. Hate poisons everything, poisons every cause, poisons every heart and mind.
Instead, we must love each other, instead of allowing hatred to enter us. This sounds banal, but it is anything but. It means we must love ourselves, love those who love us, and we must love those who hate us. We must love our friends as much as we love our enemies. We need to treat our enemies with love. If we don’t, we fail in our attempt at justice.
What does it mean to love your enemy? It does not mean to not defend yourself against aggression. But your defense needs to be conducted in such a way that you do not lose your humanity. You aim for minimum damage. You aim for peace and reconciliation to be possible at any moment. You aim to protect every human life, as much as possible.
Only then will you succeed. Only then will you indeed bring justice and peace.
So, ask yourself, in these difficult times: Which side are you on?
Then ask yourself again: How can I make sure that we do not have to pick sides at all?
You all know this is true. Make it happen. Speak out against hatred, speak out against those defending violence and pain and suffering and barbarism. Make peace. Spread love. Now.
Erratic Attempts 