W

July 20th

MADE FOR JUSTICE

“The unjust person acts against the gods. For insofar as the nature

of the universe made rational creatures for the sake of each other,

with an eye toward mutual benefit based on true value and never

for harm, anyone breaking nature’s will obviously acts against the

oldest of gods.”

—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 9.1.1

e say of the most heinous acts that they are crimes against nature.
We consider certain things to be an affront against humanity, saying,
“This violates everything we hold dear.” However much we differ in
religion, upbringing, politics, class, or gender, we can come together in
agreement there.
Why? Because our sense of justice goes marrow deep. We don’t like it
when people cut in line; we don’t like freeloaders; we pass laws that protect
the defenseless; and we pay our taxes, agreeing, in part, to redistribute our
wealth to those in need. At the same time, if we think we can get away with
it, we might try to cheat or bend the rules. To paraphrase Bill Walsh, when
left to our own devices, many of us individuals seek lower ground like
water.
The key, then, is to support our natural inclination to justice with strong
boundaries and strong commitments—to embrace, as Lincoln urged a
divided, angry nation to do, “the better angels of our nature.”