The price of undermining truth is paid by the miscarriage of justice. It’s negotiated in the ordinary day to day and only in a crisis do we realize just what we traded off. It’s a bribe here, a small token or threat, a small white lie that harms no one. It’s the day to day lies that give birth to the greatest scams and bloodshed the world has ever known. They say the devil is in the details. And whenever we see justice denied the details show truth was undermined ages before sometimes even from both sides of the court room.
Problem is we always tend to focus on the big revelation, the latest scandal. We are wowed how they could pull it off. Our minds are focused on the blast above the surface not the bomb that caused it. We must realise that justice cannot be attained without truth having its day. And we can’t fix the building up if the foundation is shaky. We must realize how crucial the foundation of truth is not just among the political class but among us all in our day to day ordinary life.
You see our world cares less of truth but wails at all the injustice we face. We detest discrimination, unless we are the ones it favours. We get furious when others are picked ahead of us. But nothing brings us to agreement than our selfish pursuit. We cry of injustice while we demand we should have the first right. Justice will never prevail until the day we realise we are all the accused and have been found guilty of not only neglecting justice but undermining truth.
To most people truth doesn’t matter as long as there’s fairness and justice. But that’s a mad conclusion same as saying you can have milk without feeding the cow. Fairness and justice is the fruit of a society built on truth. It’s where men and women are governed by the teaching and practice of the truth in the day to day that the society can enjoy the milk of justice. Where certain men don’t decided on what works for them but everyone is a slave to the Truth.
It’s worse in our world where everyone lives by their own code. I mean how do you even measure what amounts to injustice if we don’t even agree on absolute truth. Someone robs from the government believing that money belongs to no one. In his mind and by his own judgement he has not sinned against anyone. Actually he lives in a culture that tells him he should take advantage of the opportunity he has to accumulate as much as he can for himself and those close to him.
Without a guiding principle beyond our own desires and self interest truth is undermined and justice is ultimately denied. At first it seems like nothing. The price too cheap for the personal and even the seemingly corporate gains but with time we all come to realise how wrong we were. When it’s said and done our problem is we would rather trade off truth in the name of freedom for the pursuit of our self interest. And if that’s our choice then injustice shouldn’t surprise us because that’s what we’ll get in the end.
In all my wildest dreams and craving for freedom, freedom to do whatever I want whenever I want with whomever I want without a bother on whomever it affects I must consider the price I must pay in the long run. That in the meantime I might get the rush to be on top of the world but when chicken come home to roost I will pay dearly for my choice. If everyone else lives by this code it won’t be long before we all have to pay the price. And you know what, however much we try to cheat the system we or our children will surely pay for it. Truth and justice is sacrificed on the altar of our false freedom.
It seems to me that’s it’s only reasonable to abide and be a custodian of truth because only he can shield us from the evil of everyone else’s pursuit of uncaring self interest. Sure that means I won’t get everything I want here and now but I will get a fair and righteous society that safeguards the weak and vulnerable. Where truth is the the guiding principle justice for all will flourish.
What’s interesting is that it’s actually the pursuit of truth that delivers not only justice but freedom. Jesus taught that believing and holding to his Gospel teaching is actually what would ultimately free us. Truth delivers justice with true freedom.
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8.
Imagine that! We run away from God and his message because we want to be free of him to do whatever we want. We try that for this world and we lose not just truth but all it’s fruits including justice and what’s worse, we lose freedom too. For every false reward the world gives you it takes everything that really matters as the price. Our world is a living testament of that. We are better off with the shackles of truth than we are left on our devices. Pursuit of Gospel truth in place of self interest delivers the justice we crave for all and the true freedom we yearn for so much now and fully in eternity.
A life in time to Preach 