On (some) injustices

Galileo, buried at the Basilica di Santa Croce

There was a time in my life when I used to get really frustrated, really upset, and I felt generally just very bitter at some of the “injustices” I felt were being inflicted upon me. At around that time I had just started reading some of Napoleon Hill’s work and I remember a story he tells about Christopher Columbus. We all know him because he ‘discovered’ the Americas – and yet you could also consider him one of human history’s greatest failures. He set out to find a new shipping route to India via the west – and he failed miserably at his task! But his failure achieved for him the fame and place of pride he holds in human history. Why did this story come to mind to me today? Because lack of “success” (what some may call failure) is such a common finding in people we often call our heroes.

Let’s briefly consider Eva Perón, the argentine political minister who after her death was considered almost a saint for her deeds and passions. In life, though, she had hundreds of enemies in high places. She faced great political opposition and suffered unjust and inflated accusations from her opponents. She was, on the other hand, cherished by the working class - the numerical majority. The harder she fought both for herself and as a representative of the labour and social welfare of her nation, the more she was accused of wrongdoing by those that held the financial majority. Now, what’s my point? OK, I’m not saying that only those with greater social and moral stances face injustice. All I’ve noticed is that the names of those that serve their nations, their societies, that serve with pride in something other than political or financial approval, those who remain true to their humanities, are those who experience true success despite their adversity. What are the names of those that opposed Eva Perón, those that dominated politically and financial while she struggled? Did they succeed? What did they achieve? Where are their admirers and who still recalls them?

Now, a person could feel down because they are accused of wrongdoing, because they are accused of it only to ‘punish’ behaviour that is thought not to be respectful of the authority of those in power. Insolence is often punished by actions aimed to show you who’s boss. It’s not a new concept, that’s the reason Hitler kept ‘yes-men’ around him and those that disagreed with him quickly disappeared. It’s the reason that Jesus humbly declaring his father’s kingdom was punished with death. It’s the reason people who refuse military service – or any other behaviour not condoned by governments – have in the past been incarcerated. I remember a quote by Fyodor Dostoevsky that says that “power is given only to those who dare to lower themselves and pick it up”. Perhaps we should expect no less from our enemies in high places, but that does not mean we should accept their punishment as well-deserved either.

‘If a person slaps you in the face, turn the other cheek’ means to accept that there are people who will act with hurtful intent toward you. It does not mean that you have to believe that you deserved either the first or second slap. In times like these I think it’s better to remember your own name and what you stand for, because no-one will even remember those who wanted to show you who’s boss.