On the Mercy of the Court

There is an old story about a young man who murdered his parents and was to go on trial for his crimes.  At the arraignment, he threw himself on the mercy of the court on the basis that he was an orphan.

There are three important things to consider in this extremely short story.  First of all, the young man didn't admit or deny the charges.  The idea that he had killed anyone was not his concern. 

Secondly, there is no expression of remorse or sorrow for the deaths of his parents. 

Thirdly, he clearly is of the opinion that he is above judgement or reproach.  The trial should not move forward because of his status.

We're seeing this more and more in the world of politicians.  Sadly, there is a sense of entitlement of priviledge of the office.  Whether its to patronize prostitutes privately while publicly prosecuting them; secretly accepting gifts that by law are suppose to be reported; or not reporting income from off-shore real estate investments, the idea of being above the law prevails.  Using the prestige of office or social position is commonly referred to as an "abuse of power."  The key word here is abuse.  Those involved don't see it that way.  Instead, they claim to be the real victims, of some sort of conspiracy or the press.  Occasionally, the accused admit to what they have done, but claim it was within their rights and a trial is not warranted.  After all, they are the real victims.

Whether the abuse is political, sexual, or verbal it is an effort by one person to fulfill desire at the expense of someone else.  As the practise continues, the abuser feels more enpowered, more entitled.  There is a confusion between tolerance and acceptance.  He/she starts to believe that what they do is acceptable simply because no one speaks up.  Once confronted, this person immediately assumes the posture of being the victim.  "Someone should have told me," is the basis of the claim to innocence.  However, it is precisely because someone did speak up that this guise of victimhood has been taken.  It is the result of having reached "the tipping point" that the tolerance has been broken. Isn't it amazing the claim, "Well, they let me do it," is considered a reason for the chosen mode of behavior?

We are all human beings.  We all make mistakes.  Whether we learn from them or not depends on the attitudes we have about ourselves and others.  When we do something that clearly harms the well being of another person, we are accountable.  The Divine within us requires us to admit, repent and strive to do better in the future.  It demands all three steps.  We cannot admit and say we'll do better without the apology. The apology is the main ingredient in the admission.  We cannot appreciably admit to the action and yet claim it was someone else's fault, especially not the fault of our victim. It is crucial for ourselves as well as those we injured.  We cannot grow without this.  Our road to growth and fulfilment, to be truly legendary is barricaded until we we can take this step sincerely and without the expectation of forgiveness.  To be legendary, we do the right thing without expectation of reward.