Day Seventeen: Justice

JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

Today, I'll reflect on another of Ben Franklin's 13 self-improvement principles, justice. This principle relates more to morality than to self-discipline, but there is some overlap, and regardless of whether it relates to self-discipline or not, it is simply a good moral rule to live by, one that can make me a better person.

Sometimes, it is easier to comprimise one's morals by allowing an injustice to stand rather than to stand up for what is right. From the great film, The Boondock Saints: "We must always fear the wicked. But there is another kind of evil that we must fear the most, and that is the indifference of good men."

I must therefore endeavour to not be indifferent to situations that are clearly wrong, even if it means a difficulty that would otherwise be avoided. And further, I must be mindful of my actions, that I am not actively causing injury.

The one aspect of my life in which I inflict the most harm I believe are in my relationships with women. And while in the past I've maintained my innocence, I'll be mature now and admit that the injury is my fault and I should not be so callous in my actions, especially when they relate to such a fragile organ as a woman's heart.

My pattern with women has become clear through its repetition. After some time alone, I want a woman's company; the problem is that it is rare that I meet a girl that I am truly interested in. I find myself trying to make a square peg fit a round hole, trying to force myself to fall for someone I will never feel for deeply.

For awhile, my charade may hold up, but inevitably it tends to fall apart. I can no longer pretend to care, and as my care is waning, hers is growing. At some point, she knows she is in too deep, and will attempt to reach out to me. I can offer no solace, and the injury is complete.

The solution is simple; I must be careful with others' hearts. I cannot be so callous to satiate my own selfish lonliness at the cost of her happiness. It feels good to be liked, but eventually that vibrant like flirts with love and then to revulsion as the facade of my emotions crumble.

I must act with justice in my interactions with women, it is right and something that I must do. The tie-in with self-discipline is manifest: In the short term, it is pleasurable, but long-term it brings pain. I must sacrifice the short-term for the long-term, as difficult as it seems to be.