I just finished reading a novel set during the 1848 Revolution in France, and this quote, near the end, gave me pause:
"When I had money," said Minna, "I gave it away to the poor and to the sick, to artists and beggars and frauds, all in the name of charity. But when I was a child in my father's house I learned some Hebrew, and one of the things I learned was, that in our Hebrew language there was no word for charity. The word I must use, my father said, was Justice."*
What's the difference between 'charity' and 'justice'? I'd say that charity affects a well-needed, but temporary change in condition, while 'justice' affects a more permanent change in condition. The concept of ‘social justice’ has become rather politicized in the US in the past few years. There are non-profit organizations, churches, and even public schools dedicated to the idea of social justice, all with their own interpretations of what ‘justice’ means. I'm trying to wrap my head around this concept as our trip to Nepal and India nears. We'll be doing our share of sightseeing, but we're also hoping to encounter people who working with the poor in a manner that is, I believe, closer to justice than charity.
A bientôt...
*Quote from ‘Summer will show’, written by Sylvia Warner Townsend, originally published in 1936. Although I started reading it before the current protests in France, this book actually helped me better understand France's long tradition of taking their grievences to the streets.
