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“Love and justice aren’t two opposing views. When they work hand and glove, it is a beautiful thing as there is enough love to stand for what is right and enough justice to fight for people with love. Can you hold both in your hands or do you see them as opposite forces?”
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“Being right isn’t always the most important thing. Take a look at your motivation for why being right matters. Remember, the truth always prevails, so staying in the right relationships might be more important at that moment.”
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“When I realized I was just as broken as the people I was trying to help, it changed everything. Together, in our brokenness, we helped each other become a better version of ourselves. Are you helping from brokenness or from superiority?”
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“Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.” - Cornel West
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“In the end, we must remember that no amount of rules or their enforcement will enforce those who struggle with justice on their side.” -Nelson Mandela |
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Over Christmas Break, I’ve been finishing up the book Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. Stevenson has dedicated his life to challenging the bias against the poor and marginalized in the criminal justice system, especially children. Reading through it, I was struck by the many similarities between Stevenson’s work and the work we do in Haiti. Do we believe people can be rehabilitated or in Many Hands terminology, transformed? Do we care about the dozens who are wrongly convicted? Or the thousands of children tried as adults and convicted to life in prison without parole or worse, sentenced to death? To me, how we treat the most marginalized in our presence reflects the values in our society. It reveals the heart. To truly be love in action, we must believe in rehabilitation as new beginnings are possible. I’m not advocating for no justice because there are consequences to actions. At the same time, are the consequences intended to rehabilitate or retaliate? I pray those reading this never have to experience this kind of justice in a court system. But, we all experience these basic decisions with lesser consequences. How do we treat the child who disobeys? The employee who steps out of line? The brother or sister who doesn’t return a phone call or an email? A friend who wasn’t there for you the way you wished for? There isn’t a black and white answer to any of these scenarios, except the state of our heart. Is our first intention to retaliate or re-evaluate why it happened in the first place? Do we start with compassion or immediately jump to condemn? To be love in action, no matter what happens to us, the only thing we can control is our heart in our desired outcome. Take some time to look at your recent actions in light of the above information. What is the state of your heart?
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Tim Brand
Founder and CEO, Many Hands
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