Regeneration

REGENERATION

Be still, regenerate yourself

Body, heart and mind

Radiate calm from the solar plexus

Relax in present moment presence

Beam purity from the heart

Return to innocence in awareness

Shine light of creativity from the pineal

Know yourself with certainty

Transmute the gross to the fine

Listen to the Master within

Embrace with renewed enthusiasm;

Sharpened senses,

Compassionate feelings

and Noble thoughts

Liberation through regeneration

Integration through regeneration

Transcendence through regeneration

Let the soul rejoice in being

.

Copyright 2018 Jurgens Pieterse

Spiritual alchemy

We have often heard about the Hermetic principle: “As above so below”. This phrase has a very special meaning to the student of mysticism, with an understanding of the duality of man. On the one side man is seen as an essential being with a deep inner life experience and on the other side man has an existential presence in the material world.  A complete life experience requires from man to experience his existential self as well as to rise in his consciousness to be open to the impressions from his essential being. In gaining knowledge man must imagine the Eternal Source of All and observe how it manifest in his existential world through meditation. Equally important is that man must also contemplate on his inner world and apply what he observes to develop a generalised understanding of the Eternal Source. Experience is the light that shines on the inner world and gives it a dimension of life while meditation on the Eternal Source provides another dimension to life. Spiritual alchemy in its practical form is a constructivistic approach of uniting these to view points to gain a true understanding of phenomena experience in this life. In this manner the mystic endeavours to unite science and spirituality on the one side and art and philosophy on the other side.  From the Eternal Source we receive the influx of life force and in the existential world we experience the impressions of spirit, the material world. Both Life Force and Spirit is required to acquire the wisdom that will see that the All is in all and the all is in All. When that observation becomes apparent then the maxim: “What is above is below” reaches a new level of meaning for the student of mysticism, with many practical applications.

© All rights reserved. Jurgens Pieterse

Dealing with mental poisoning

I would like to ponder here my personal application and approach towards the topic of Mental poisoning. Mental poisoning is a continuous risk to which we are exposed and deserve our utmost individual attention. A mere glance at the topic will do little to protect us since we are all acceptable to mental poisoning.

Firstly fear must be removed from my awareness, and that can only be done on some basis of confidence. In my life I build that surety by making the master within the directing principle in my life and I trust in the power of the mind. The first require the development of my intuition and the second the development of my reason. I will focus more specifically on the latter.

A firm mind, balanced and in harmony with natural law is like a stronghold that keeps fear out before the enemy even enters or launch an attack. The first armor in the defence of my mind is mindfulness of truth by confirming the factual basis of my conclusions and avoiding weak assumptions from becoming the foundation of those conclusions. There is no holy cows that must be protected at all cost. Being a walking question mark allow me to distinguish between fact and assumption.

My second defense is Stoic mindfulness about what is in my control and what is not. In this way I do not waste time on events outside my control and continue with positive and purposeful actions. Fear grows on empty and vulnerable thoughts transfixed on that which we have no control over. By focusing on what is control the mind becomes the powerful ally it is to war against mental poisoning.

My offensive is to empower my mind by focusing on building specific virtues in my life. Following the example of Benjamin Franklin I have chosen thirteen virtues and focus on one each week. Virtue calls on me to use my human faculty of reason to act with wisdom in everything I do. True virtue is born from virtue and through prudence I bring each virtue to manifest in my life at the right time and each virtue is an expression of an divine nature I strive to integrate into my life. Collectively the virtues form a lattice network of thought patterns that strengthen the mind to reject any mental poisoning outright.

Virtue leads to a harmony with the benevolent nature of the cosmic on a practical level. Applying virtue is always a present moment activity that bolster awareness and a natural repellent to the toxic waste spewed by other people. I take accountability for the first thought I put into my mind when I remind myself in the morning of the virtue I will contemplate. That sets the pattern for my thinking for the rest of the day and when I evaluate at the end of the day how well I applied virtue, then I set the pattern for my subconscious mind to follow during my sleep. Since I started to focus on virtue I concluded that virtue leads to a state of equanimity and tranquility that can not be penetrated by mental poisoning.

MENTAL POISONING

Mental poisoning starts with the assertion that consciousness goes beyond just the objective sense experience and that it includes the subjective interpretation of sense experience. The notion that the mind can be poisoned via psychic or magical means from consciousness to consciousness is discounted since it will go contradictory to benevolent character designed into the fabric of the cosmic. Cosmic law supports that the human should be free from mental dominance and control by any mind other than his own.

However man’s intended freedom does not discount the possibility of mental poisoning and for what we conceive in our minds in fear and through false belief can become a law and a command to ourselves. Mental poisoning can action symptoms on a physical level as if it is the real deal since the conscious does not distinguish between the actual and imagined. Although we are prone to reject it when people directly try to enforce ideas upon us, those same ideas become more acceptable and easy to absorbed when it is given in a subtle or indirect manner. Methods of indirect transfer of ideas are through cleverly disguised words, unspoken suggestion/ gestures and/or some pictorial or symbolical format. Two things makes us more susceptible to mental poisoning namely the tendency to believe what we want to believe and the tendency to keep to a belief when it agrees with a group of ideas previously established.

Mental poisoning begins when the idea is injected through one of more of these means, disguised in an incomplete and unclear way, will start to evolve by itself in the mind of the individual. Since these subtle ideas becomes the product of the individual own reasoning, they accept the idea unquestionably as their own. Once the idea is accepted as one’s own creation the mental poisoning begin its effect and it is manifested as a truth in the individual’s life. The idea becomes a law onto their bodies and proceeds through natural processes to the final accepted conclusion. Thus mental poisoning can be defined as the process when a person accepts and idea, subject it to his own understanding and interpretation and then the subconscious submission to its natural development. It is worthwhile to note that we can use the same mechanism to administer hope, motivation and encouragement for an individual to built upon.

Finally, the true villain of the story is revealed: “FEAR”. Fear and ignorance are the two doorways that opens the mind for incomplete ideas to enter into the mind. Those ideas feed from fear for further growth and to establish itself as a law to manifest itself. However we need not be the victims of fear for we can trust that we are fortified by an inner, divine and omnipotent wisdom. Fear can be cast aside and we can find immunity against this poison by becoming familiar with the fundamental principles of life and trust in the benevolent design of the cosmic. By placing fear in the right perspective man can reclaim his creative nature and seize the things he can imagine and apply it to further goodness in his own and the life of others. Knowledge of the laws of nature, trust in the benevolent design of the Cosmic and the rightful claim to be in essence creative is man’s antidote against fear, ignorance and the consequent mental poisoning ensuing from them.

Reverence: H.S. Lewis, 1981, Mental Poisoning, Rosicrucian Order AMORC

Honour

Let your words and deeds be in accord

Honour is associated with high respect and/or great esteem. Honour is the quality of knowing and doing what is morally right. We can learn much about honour from the Roman philosopher Seneca who wrote in his Moral Epistles: “Nature has brought us forth brave of spirit, and, as she has implanted in certain animals a spirit of ferocity, in others craft, in others terror, so she has gifted us with an aspiring and lofty spirit, which prompts us to seek a life of the greatest honour, and not of the greatest security, that most resembles the soul of the universe, which it follows and imitates as far as our mortal steps permit.“ For Seneca there is but one good and that is to live with honour. To be honourable according to this Stoic man’s reason must be well ordered and right and adapted to that which his nature has willed – man’s unique good.

Honour demands that we behave in a manner that demands respect. Do you respect yourself for who you are? This is a key question for mystics to answer since mystics set for themselves the highest ideals to relentlessly strive to achieve.  An ideal is an ideal because it has not yet been realised. Along the way we will disappoint ourselves by not living up to the ideal. Honour however demands from us never to give up the struggle but to continue to live a life worthy of honour. Honour does not compromise self-respect but demands an awareness that continually progresses towards an ideal being.

We can recognise the virtue of honour functioning in our lives by assessing to what degree our words and deeds are in accord.  Honour is about living consistently towards our ideal. This does not mean consistent behaviour because different situations might call for different approaches, but our words and deeds must always align.  When we promise something we must deliver on that promise and when we judge we must ourselves live in accord with our judgement. We recognise an honourable act in that it is something we do voluntary from our own will. Whenever an act is not by our choice and against our own will that act is not honourable for it inherently contradicts with our own nature and conscience. Honour bequests from us full devotion, based on a complete conviction that it is the right action to take. A true honourable act is an act that is fully imbued with good intent. Honour does not include any form of evil or malice intent. Seneca writes that every honourable act is the work of one single virtue, but it is in accordance with the judgement of the whole council of virtues.

An honourable person does “good” irrespective of the situation even if it involves labour, hardship or sacrifice.  The situation does not determine the behaviour but a man’s inner ideal of goodness drives through to impress itself onto the situation at hand.  An honourable man might not escape poverty but he will not be humbled or bend by his poverty. He may not escape pain and illness but it is his upright conduct within pain and illness that brings honour to the situation. When we act with honour we do not follow the majority but we follow the voice of our own conscience on what is good. Honour is not about receiving the approval of others but to live according to the nudging of the soul.  We uphold our convictions at all times, especially when no one else is watching.

To cultivate honour we must associate ourselves with fellow human beings that are honourable. When we align ourselves with good men we will acquire bit by bit more of their honourable influence into hour own lives to uplift us to greater heights than what we may have achieved on our own. Ultimately honourable companionship will yield benefits to our own endeavours to be honourable. Seneca advises us to find people who lived with honour through troubling times and use that as a means to motivate and encourage us to live with honour ourselves. Seneca continues to encourage us to praise honourable men and consider it an honourable action in itself…not to seek praise ourselves but to acknowledge those that inspire us to be honourable.

Our past honour gives us confidence to face the challenges in the present moment. When we face a threat or have to endure distress we can always recall past events where we acted with honour and know that we are far more able to deal with the challenge that we are facing.  This exercise does not remove us from the situation but gives us the ability to face it with more confidence and hope. The practice of honour prepares us to face the ultimate challenge when we must be ready and prepared to face death.

Seneca writes: “But the happy man, whose virtue is complete, loves himself most of all when his bravery has been submitted to the severest test, and when he not only, endures but welcomes that which all other men regard with fear, if it is the price which he must pay for the performance of a duty which honour imposes, and he greatly prefers to have men say of him: “how much more noble!” rather than “how much more lucky!”

Virtue contemplation: Prudence

Be aware of the consequence of your actions

Plato identified Prudence as a cardinal virtue with classes of the city, which he described in The Republic, and associated it with the class of rulers and to reason. The Roman philosopher Cicero writes: “Virtue may be defined as a habit of mind (animi).” In harmony with reason and the order of nature, he lists “prudentiam” along with justice, courage and temperance as the four parts of virtue. The Catholic Church also sees prudence as the first of the four cardinal virtues along with fortitude, temperance and justice. The cardinal virtues are seen as those virtues that are needed for all the other virtues to manifest. Symbolically, prudence is often represented by the symbol of a scroll or a book to indicate that prudence is knowledge, learned being applied correctly, or by a mirror indicating the importance of self-awareness.

Prudence is an awareness of the present moment and the opportunity to give expression to the other virtues. Prudence is in essence the filter that selects the most appropriate virtue to express given the circumstances within which you find yourself. Prudence therefore is mindfulness that is cognisant of the circumstances, opportunities and value that can be brought into a particular situation. Prudence can also be defined as exercising wisdom in the present moment. Zeal without prudence can easily lead to an unintended result if the possible outcomes of our actions are not fully considered. The same is applicable to courage … we may have the courage to do something only to find out that the action itself is detrimental. Courage to act in a situation where patience is required can lead to war. Prudence recognises that all virtues act on a continuum and that the level of virtue expressed is a variable that must be driven by choice.

Prudence is also associated with wisdom, judgment, common sense and sagacity. For the Mystic, prudence acts on consciousness and on the need to consider all the factors at play in order to select the best action for those circumstances. However, prudence is not about delaying action or decisions. Indeed prudence is not just concerned with the best action but also with the best timing of action. When we act automatically from previous conditioning and learned behaviour then we cannot be prudent. Prudence asks for self-awareness as well awareness of the situation within which we find ourselves, so that we can consciously select the appropriate action.

Prudence is like the rudder of a ship that is used continually to direct our lives in the direction we want to take it. Within the context of a Mystic, prudence asks what the impact of an action will be on our own inner being but also on that of other people. Prudence allows you to see the big picture, like a map, while the other virtues enable you to conduct your daily affairs.

Prudence manifests at the point where our conscience joins our consciousness. Without conscience we do not have self-awareness or awareness of the circumstances, and with conscience we do not have good judgement of what is good or bad at a particular time or in particular circumstances. The action of prudence is not just an intuitive act but requires learning so that we leverage value from the total learning of humanity. Prudence in this sense means going beyond relying on our own insight alone; we must also trust in the insight of humanity’s collective experience. Although learning itself is not by default an act of prudence it does form a foundation of preparedness that will allow us to act with prudence. A key aspect enabling prudence is that human nature is endowed with the capacity to remember. Prudence therefore does not just require looking forward but also reflecting on the consequences of past actions and remembering the relationship between cause and effect.

Prudence is the control that links what we want to be with how we are. Prudence however is not just acting from learning but also acting from our divine nature rather than our human nature. Prudence is the practical application of reason. Prudence considers the impact on our soul first in every action or decision, and it considers how the benevolence of divinity can be expressed. Before every action we ask ourselves, what choice would best serve universal good.

© All rights reserved. Jurgens Pieterse

Virtue contemplation: Fellow feeling

Connect with the world around you!

Fellow-feeling, compassion and loving kindness are all related to the same type of virtue. Fellow-feeling is a virtue that compels us to become aware of the world around us and more specifically of fellow human beings. Seneca, the stoic philosopher said the first thing philosophy teaches is fellow-feeling. We find the idea of compassion featuring strongly in Buddhist ontology.

When we cultivate a sense of fellow-feeling, it challenges us to see the need and the suffering of the world.  But more than just being aware of it we are invited to share in the feelings of those who suffer. Fellow-feeling is of little use unless it flows over into action where we do something to relieve the suffering of others. If you are in pain then you will act to soothe that pain, and fellow-feeling is to feel as if your fellow man is part of you. This opens the doorway to our conscience. In every action we need to ask what the impact is on our fellow human beings. Compassion uplifts our spirit to vibrate at a higher level of conscience that is more in tune with divine benevolence.

I have read many web pages that contained stories of compassionate people, who crafted their lives around being compassionate. In my own Afrikaner history, I looked back at Emily Hobhouse who was a remarkable woman due to her stand against political forces to bring the plight of Afrikaner-Boer woman in concentration camps to the attention of the British people. There is no shortage of examples to follow or admire across the pages of history.

In its continuum of existence there is on the one side total selfishness that does everything only for the self and on the other extreme there is total selflessness that sacrifices self for the good of others.  The first is by itself insular and brings us to the realisation of being alone and not part of the human family … we rob ourselves of the feeling of being loved or of loving. At the other extreme we are at the risk of depleting our inner resources in an attempt to assist others and we forget to nurture ourselves and our own well-being. If a rich man feels for the poor and gives away all his possessions to the poor, the state of poverty will just return for the solution is not sustainable. However, if he uses the money to create businesses that employ more people in a productive way he brings a positive and more sustainable solution to the world. Compassion is therefore not about just throwing ourselves at the needs of other people, but rather it requires us to find sustainable and lasting means to raise the quality of living in society as a whole.

Unlike other virtues, fellow-feeling can be overwhelming if we think we have to make changes in the world by ourselves. Fellow-feeling is about collaborating and working with others to uplift the world around us. Fellow-feeling for the Mystic, however, starts within, when we begin to visualise healing for the world and upliftment. If the seed is not planted within our own mind we can never truly live fellow-feeling. Our human nature is social and we are the most happiest in a community that is happy. Humanity’s need becomes an opportunity for the Mystic to put all his/her abilities to work in the service of humanity and the ecological sustainability of the world.

In a more practical way, the awareness associated with fellow-feeling is an awareness of how our immediate family, friends and/or work colleagues feel. Fellow-feeling is not about complaining along with co-workers about the company culture or politics but rather it is about seeing it and looking for ways of uplifting and encouraging fellow workers to become their best. Fellow-feeling is about not being pulled down into depression by the pathetic state of others but instead it calls for strength in finding ways to uplift all those that pass our way to new levels of confidence. Standing still with a beggar in the street to really hear his/her story is more an expression of fellow-feeling than just pushing a coin or a note into an empty hand and walking off. The latter is indispensably part of fellow-feeling but the need here is not just for money, it is for respect and acknowledgment of the humanness of others. Fellow-feeling asks from us to be open-minded to the insights of others. On a practical level if we refuse to listen to co-workers, or we belittle their contributions, then we are carving away at the foundation of a positive society and indirectly destroying an environment conducive to a happy life.

When we indulge in fellow-feeling, we become aware of our own uniqueness, the resources to serve that are at our disposal. Yes, we can blindly and greedily seek to profit from our talents and abilities but fellow-feeling asks from us to look for a fair exchange. The focus is never on the single transaction but on the total upliftment of the system as a whole to a new level. Fellow-feeling can be applied within a very narrow band-width but its focus is always the global overarching perspective. Humanity as a whole is on a path of evolution and the Mystic is primarily concerned with that process which ultimately leads to greater human excellence. Fellow-feeling might ask from us to suspend our own agenda and plans to align them with a bigger purpose and therefore increase our value contribution to society. By uplifting humanity, the Mystic transforms the base metal of his own soul into golden heights that express excellence through his human nature.

© All rights reserved. Jurgens Pieterse

Virtue contemplation: Courage

“When it is the right thing to do … just do it without hesitation!”

Courage is defined by the ability to do something that frightens one. Synonyms include fearlessness, valour, daring, and audacity. Our fears are sometimes only in our imagination and they artificially constrain what we think we can do. Courage breaks through the illusion of fear to open up new possibilities to live creatively and happily.

I learned courage from a friend who smoked too much and ended up with her lung capacity severely limited. She ended up living from oxygen generators and ultimately visiting the emergency units of the hospital. But she had the strength to remain calm and strong in the face of not being able to breathe. There was no hope of healing and yet she continued to display a love for life. That was inspiring for me and taught me what courage really means.

All humans are most likely destined to experience some type of misfortune. Courage provides the inner strength to face misfortune and persevere despite calamities that might come our way. Courage accepts the unavoidable with the faith that human nature is resilient enough to overcome and move beyond times of loss, destruction and despair. Courage means to live consistently in agreement with one’s own convictions irrespective of other people’s opinions and circumstances.

Courage lies on the continuum between being timorous and foolhardy boldness. On the one end there is a blind acceptance of fate and acceptance of misery. Stripped of hope, a timorous attitude can cast a person into an abyss of constant, inescapable anxiety. Foolhardy boldness on the other hand means rushing into danger where the risk is unnecessary. Courage finds the golden mean between these two extremes; although a situation is accepted, it is also endured with confidence that misfortune must also abide by a cyclical nature and come to an end at some point. Courage is a virtue that gives one constant persistence, irrespective of circumstances, with regard to remaining true to oneself.

Courage provides the energy to act with confidence and overcome any initial doubts we might have in our own ability. Courage opens the door to do the unthinkable and to suspend fears and face reality head on in a pragmatic manner. Fearlessness is not a blind leap of faith but fuelled rather by a critical assessment of the risk involved while timing action for maximum impact. Only a fool rushes into a situation without thinking about it. An act of courage involves knowing the dangers while accepting the possible consequences of acting. Audacity means assessing when the cause for action outweighs the risks of not acting. “Courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it.“

Daring is not just about acting but also about letting go. We tend to hold on to things in our lives beyond their lifespan. When the time has come to make changes we hold on to our past which creates constraints that prevent us from living our full potential in the present moment. Courage refuses to give up on human nature and on living life fully. Courage is about timing … doing the right thing at the right time based on one’s own convictions. In this sense, prudence and courage are closely linked virtues because prudence is about knowing what the right thing is to do while courage is more about having the inner will to do what is right. Sometimes courage requires that we persist in an action because we believe that the end result will be worth the difficulties that must be faced. Courage not only means acknowledging one’s own strengths, it also provides the fortitude to ask for help when needed and acknowledge when one’s own resources are insufficient.

Courage is acting from within one’s own convictions. In this sense, courage supports justice because one must be willing to stand up for that which one believes is just even if it means opposing authority. Each man must remain true to the level of his own conscience and must not submit to the thinking of others if he thinks with his whole being that something is not just. One needs courage to say “No” against authority, peer pressure and public opinion when one knows it is not the right thing to do. Courage might act, resist or wait but it is never passive, it is always active in pursuing the best possible outcome under the guidance of reason. In this sense, courage is not just a selfish act for one’s own gain but the willingness to stand up for a cause greater than one’s own personal interests. It might be the courage to act for humanity or to preserve and protect the ecology of life on earth but courage considers what is worthwhile fighting for even if it means putting human nature under strain.

Courage does not guarantee success but finds peace of mind in having persisted in human excellence. Courage allows us to find the inspiration to live a more purposeful life and push beyond the expectations of other people, for it allows us to continue where most people would have stopped. Courage leads the way past the boundaries of perceived limitations, the fear of the unknown and any obstacles that stand in the way of benevolent action.

© All rights reserved. Jurgens Pieterse

Virtue contemplation: Gratitude

Gratitude is an expression of appreciation for some benefit received. We give acknowledgement to the giver and in the act of gratitude acknowledge and affirm the other party’s self-worth. Gratitude is given freely and voluntary without any expectation to receive anything back in return. The nature of gratitude is to expand and multiply energy. Express gratitude and it opens the door for energy to flow in to your life. In this regard there is a close relationship between gratitude and enthusiasm.

The continuum of gratitude is between complaining and being overly sweetened by pretence.  When we complain we focus on the lack of benefit and we self-righteously demand more than was given, while an over-expression of gratitude without real intent is false and degrading. Complaining negates responsibility and shifts blame onto external circumstances. Consequently the individual is disempowered and becomes a victim of circumstances. Pretence might look like gratitude but if it is not sincere then it remains an empty act; the external effect created might be valid but the internal benefit of virtue is lost. When insincerity is discovered it leads to distrust and a decline of harmony.

Many opportunities to show gratitude cross our path on a daily basis wherever and whenever we interact with other people. Gratitude, when expressed, creates an environment of harmony. In order to be grateful towards others we need to become aware of the role they play and how they contribute towards our lives even when their intent is not necessarily to do so. A shop assistant providing a quick and prompt service may be thanked for a friendly smile. Gratitude contributes more to harmony and the edification of the society within which we live when it is expressed clearly and specifically. A simple ”thank you”, said as a matter of fact or as a passing statement, does not have even close to the power of a statement that is specific and directly posed: “Thank you for the prompt service” while looking the other person in the eyes. Gratitude demands sincerity and a real attempt to connect with the other person on a more personal basis.

Besides having a beneficial impact on society, gratitude is also an inward state of acknowledging the resources that one has available in one’s own life. Gratitude sees value beyond the norm. Being grateful for knowledge acquired, or a talent, or a result achieved, builds our self-worth. Gratitude wires the brain to see more fully our own human potential and encourages us to live closer to our full potential irrespective of environmental conditions. Gratitude is a light that provides us with hope in the darkest moments for even in the darkest moments we have some resource or ability we can employ to assist us. In this way we are always reminded that we have the means to make changes.

Gratitude spawns generosity and an abundance mentality that frees us to share with others what we have. When we are truly thankful for what we have received then we are also more eager to give. Life becomes an adventure. Gratitude can be expressed by paying forward the benefits we have received. When we are grateful for service given to us, we are energised to express that gratitude in service to others. Although that gratitude does not flow directly back to the original giver it expands the original energy and intent like a ripple that travels through society.

© All rights reserved. Jurgens Pieterse

Virtue contemplation: Justice

Justice or Righteousness is about fairness. Defined in the dictionary as fairness, fair play, fair-mindedness etc. justice is not highlighted as a Mussar soul trait but is noted in Rosicrucian ontology. Philosophers across all eras have pondered justice. Justice is a topic that requires considerable thought. Both Socrates and Plato, for example, spent a considerable amount of time writing about justice and what is just. Socrates concludes that people reach excellence only by being just. Justice is about balance and bringing balance into life. Justice is the continual balancing of energy and requires the use of our rational capacity to get as many facts as possible and to relate those facts carefully before making a decision. Judgement judges actions, the intent behind actions and the end result of an action, not people.

Judgement has two dimensions: the balance between the individual’s freedom and the rights and privileges of humanity; and the balance between the spiritual aspirations and the passions of the body. Man is free to act but justice reacts to that freedom with visible and invisible effects.

Justice can be summarised by the maxim: “Do unto others as you would do unto yourself” or “Treat others the same way you would like to be treated”. This maxim only works when one has a proper degree of self-perception and self-worth. If we fail to value ourselves, our perception of justice will also be skewed. We judge to the degree that we think and we must be conscious of our knowledge and ignorance when we claim to apply justice in our lives.

Justice, however, means to detach oneself from one’s own sense of importance and to look impartially at what is right without being led by personal passions. Justice applies what is right even if it leads to an unfavourable situation for oneself. Justice does not demand self-denial but requires that we suspend our interest and look at the world from a broad perspective of human dignity. Justice inspires us to stand up for the weak and the poor. Justice brings harmony and cooperation between different people and allows each their right to liberty while remaining a cohesive force for group unity.

In its practical application, the virtue of justice means doing the work for which you are paid by your employer. Justice demands continuous evaluation in the moment as to whether an action taken is edifying or destructive from an objective perspective. Justice does not mean balancing positive and negative forces, it is rather a deliberate action to ensure that an action will lead to the best outcome overall. Justice includes the concept of mercy because justice must also consider the impact it has on a perpetrator. Justice is not a harsh application of rules but a considered balancing of all aspects involved, including the right and dignity of the perpetrator.

People should not act justly from a fear of prosecution but from an understanding based on the fact that justice serves a greater good. When just action is driven by fear, or injustice then an unjust action becomes an option in circumstances where the one id unlikely to be caught. True justice maintains an inner consistency that is independent from circumstances. Justice listens simultaneously to the voice of prosecution as well as the voice of defence. When we judge an action as bad, then justice also demands that we look at potentially mitigating circumstances and look at the defence of the accusing party with an open mind. A wrong judgement is easily made if justice is rash and not properly consulted. Justice therefore will ask whether all factors have been duly consulted before judgement. Fair judgement ensures the liberty of the individual within the context of order and harmony in society at large.

© All rights reserved. Jurgens Pieterse