Peace
I’ve been invited to write about peace in this Social Justice Week. In conjunction with this Viewpoint, please read Dr Mary Eastham’s excellent article in the Weekly Theme for this week.
Peace cannot exist apart from justice. Peace doesn’t mean the cessation of hostilities. An armistice is not a state of real peace, a state where the issues are resolved, although I suppose it’s a start. Moreover, peace is not genuine when social injustice is present. We are kidding ourselves if we think this is the case.
Peace is not present when people don’t live in decent housing, when they are hungry, when they cannot access good healthcare, when they don’t have a good education available to them. I often hear that people make bad choices which affect their outcomes. This is not, however, the full picture. People make choices from specific situations, from particular environments. This is not to say that people don’t make bad decisions, and this is not to deny personal responsibility. Nonetheless, people are more likely to make better decisions in better situations.
As Catholics it may be obvious that we should give the disadvantaged a fair go. We aim to model our lives after Jesus, and we know that ‘The Lord hears the cry of the poor’ (Psalm 34). Our faith stirs our conscience as Catholics and Christians to do the right thing. However, we also know there are people who don’t see the world through a faith lens. This certainly doesn’t mean their goals don’t align with ours, but their ways of arriving at these goals may not always resonate with us. A way — and this isn’t the only way — to dialogue with these brethren to achieve the same end, that is, fairness for the disadvantaged, can be very useful.
In 1971 political philosopher John Rawls published a landmark book called A Theory of Justice. A key theme of this work is justice as fairness. His basic idea is that if people were temporarily rendered unaware of their circumstances – their socioeconomic status, health, family situation, and so on – thus making decisions from behind the ‘veil of ignorance’ as he calls it, they would favour a society that would ensure fairness for its most disadvantaged members. There would be equality of opportunity built into society’s political, social, and economic structures, and this would be achieved without compromising individual freedoms, such as speech and worship.
When you stop and think about this, it makes sense that in a situation where you didn’t know in what circumstances you would begin your life, or what things might happen to you out of unfortunate events or perhaps discrimination or prejudice, you’d want to create a safety net for yourself in case you ended up in the world ‘behind the eight ball’, as it were, subject to misfortune and injustice, as many people are. You’d want there to be protections giving you the best chance to overcome your disadvantages, creating a level playing field.
Now, we’ve all heard of people pulling themselves up by their bootstraps in spite of adversity, in spite of their upbringing, in spite of their circumstances. However, these cases tend to be the exceptions, not the rule. People who enter the world in abject poverty, disease, famine, and war, or who are thrust into these situations at some point, have clear disadvantages. Few people would disagree here. Yet, there are less extreme examples of disadvantage that may not be so visible, especially from a position of relative privilege.
It’s better for everyone, in my view, if structures exist to protect the disadvantaged rather than leaving it up to the vicissitudes of fortune and the character traits of certain individuals. All people benefit if equality of opportunity is built into society. And structures that achieve this enhance social justice.
Working towards social justice is sowing the seeds of peace. As Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God’ (Matt 5:9).
Hey, let’s get sowing!
Fathers
Fathers can be peacemakers too, especially when offspring clash. A father, either on his own or along with the mother, can help children to resolve conflict, to see a way forward in an atmosphere of mutual respect between siblings.
Being a father is about nurturing your relationships with your kids. Aren’t they amazing? They’re all different. Navigating these relationships requires listening and learning. And keeping up with your kids will keep you young. It will also make you exhausted, especially with teenagers – talk about blessed are the pacemakers! – so make sure you get enough sleep. And stay in touch with your kids when they get older and busier. We have so many ways to communicate these days. Let’s use them. All this applies to mothers too of course, which is a point in itself. There are few clear divisions between mothering and fathering.
And can we leave out the ‘step’ bit of parenting, ‘stepfathers’, ‘stepmothers’, ‘stepchildren’, or at least can we not emphasise it so much? It’s about love and involvement. Many fairytales and movies have the stock evil stepfather and stepmother. Perhaps subconsciously that shapes the way we line up biological parents with step-parents. But really, it’s about what you do and say and how you love. Blended families are the norm now. So again, let’s get real and acknowledge the important position of stepfathers and stepmothers. They’re parents too.
I’m a stepfather and a stepgrandfather, (let’s drop the ‘step’) and my grandfather duties fill my life and theirs.
But in a nutshell, being a father isn’t so much about trying to fit a role; just be yourself or, more accurately, be your best self.
Happy Father’s Day!
Mā te Atua koe e manaaki/ God bless you
Steve