I have a shorter version of the Myers-Briggs Personality Indicator. In it there are half the questions that professionals normally use to determine someone’s personality “type”. Thus the outcome of this assessment tool is not fool-proof by any means. But if one stronger leans in a certain direction this questionnaire will make larger narrative clear. One of the questions in that shorter version is this, “Is it worse to be unjust or unmerciful? Since I first came upon this short version I have felt this is the most profound of all the questions. I like the question because there is no easy answer, no chance to be self-righteous or holier-than-thou. No matter how you answer that question you are left to wonder if your impulse is morally correct. In short it makes you think in a deep way.
Most of us consider ourselves just and full of mercy. That is to say most of us consider ourselves persons with a strong moral compass, ready to spot injustice and stand firm on its expectations. Likewise most of us consider ourselves persons who can and do show mercy, particularly for those who are down on their luck, in a hard place. But what happens when we know of someone who appears to be guilty of an unjust act? Is our impulse one of mercy or justice, one of expressing to the other the cost of their actions or the love and deep love that continues despite the possible wrong-doing?
Of course we are going to respond to this question by heading for safe and somewhat dishonest ground and say “we would do both!” Except we all know no one does this, that each of us tends to head to one side of this scale. Of course we maintain a footing on both sides but most of us have an itch that we scratch on one side more than the other. I have friends who find it very difficult to ever express moral outrage and judgment and find themselves offering mercy and compassion for everyone, no matter the accusations involved. “We can never judge others until we have walked in their shoes” they say. On the other hand I have friends who are passionately aware of moral wrong-doing, injustice here and there, and they can stand very firm in the act of truth-telling, speaking truth to power. These are people who write letters, attend rallies, confront situations they feel are calling for moral courage. And while very few of us fall on either of these extremes we all tend to find ourselves more often than not on one of these sides.
As I have sorted through this moral challenge I have realized that whether we know the person who is under judgment determines which side we are on. Most of us find it easier to be on the just side when we do not know the people involved, thus the moral issue seems clear. But if we know the person in question our instinct can be more forgiving and more compassionate and we seek to make others aware of circumstances that may make these actions more understandable and lessen our outrage.
I try as best as I can to be more merciful to those I do not know and be more aware of the need for justice when dealing with those I know and love. In the former case we simply do not know, cannot know, all of the complexity involved in the matter. In the latter surely we need to think about future victims of our friend’s injustice and not just the well-being of the one we have a relationship with. As in so many things thinking of others, and not just ourselves, can help us find the right path.