Twice in my life when I was very upset about an injustice, wise people advised me. In both cases, the people told me stories about colleagues who became so upset about an injustice that it got in the way of the good work they were able to do. The injustice consumed them. In both cases, they were teaching me a lesson by telling me while it's fine to be upset about an injustice, we can't let that injustice obstruct the good work we're able to do. This is a good lesson.
This has been a particularly tough week for people who love peace and justice. First, an evil madman, Putin, is waging an unprovoked war on innocent people in Ukraine. This is heartbreaking, wasteful, hurtful to the entire world. To see one man and his cronies spread such evil, death, and destruction is horrible, hurtful, upsetting, and worrisome. I want it to stop, but in so many ways I feel powerless in the face of this evil. I am thankful that we have some good leaders trying to do what they can without escalating the carnage, but clearly, we need to do something else. I wish we could spread a sleep gas that doesn't kill, but puts people into a deep sleep, and then go to where he's at, remove him, and put him in some kind of chamber where he can not continue this massacre and destruction.
Then we see a smart woman who has spent her life dedicated to public service get ridiculed, provoked, insulted, and berated during the Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings. Judge Jackson was strong, but any woman who has endured such cruelty and injustice knows what she was feeling inside. It made me sick to watch the privileged, ignorant, rude, and sloth-like Republican senators try to get her and increase their name recognition amongst their bigoted, racist, self-serving fans. It was an upsetting event that filled me with worry about what else these hateful mostly men will do. Already some of these greedy, bigoted, self-servers contributed to the deadly domestic terror assault on The Capitol on January 6th. They cannot be trusted and should be behind bars rather than in Congress.
To make matters worse we then hear that a Supreme Court Justice did not recuse himself on a case where his wife's own words were part of the evidence. While he is not legally obligated to do that, it is the right thing to do. It's bad enough that this Supreme Court Justice Thomas has ruled against many humane decisions over his tenure. It's horrible that his wife supported Trump's will to overthrow a proven free and fair election. Even if I don't agree with a Supreme Court Justice, I expect them to be honorable, fair, and just. The fact that Thomas engaged in a case that his wife was involved in seemingly makes him unjust, and the fact that he would even quietly allow her to work against a free and fair election, makes him corrupt as well--he should have outed her long ago and worked for the betterment of our country and our elections instead.
Yet, as the tales relayed earlier in the post direct, we cannot let our love of peace and justice make us so upset that we don't do the good work of peace and justice. So I will continue to do what I can to create peace and justice where I can and how I can. I won't let these suffocating, unjust, oppressive events take me down. I know we can all do better to better our country and the world, and that's where I'll direct my time and energy. Onward.