You encapsulated the difference between justice that is based on
feelings and rationalization of strong emotions and a justice system that is based on intellect, reason and law.
The scales of justice are portrayed with a blindfold to signify the higher functioning of man, to reason and act on that reason, to elevate reason above feelings.
Were we to act on our feelings in matters of law and justice, we would be no better than the criminals who ignore reason and act out on their own feelings.
It is interesting to note that only man among all the members of the animal kingdom seeks to kill out revenge. Animals kill out of instinct to survive alone, humans often kill for pleasure, or revenge, or other lower emotions and feelings. It is the intellect that is supposed to separate us from animal behavior, yet the intellect who is the slave of emotions is not an intellect at all, it becomes nothing but a vehicle to rationalize behavior, speech, thought as somehow righteous on the basis of feelings alone.
These lower human emotions of revenge are what brings down a society, and the higher reasoning leads us to and elevated level of society.
Yes, it is human instinct to seek out revenge, but it is the ability to reason above lower instincts that places us in a civilized society, and not the barbarism of lowering our justice system to the level of the criminals, who act on feelings, then rationalize their behavior.
We place criminals in prisons because they were not able to control their feelings, the could not resist their lower impulses, and they acted not out of reason. Reason took a back seat to powerful emotions and impulses.
So what kind of response do we see from the victims of these crimes?
Essentially the same type of feeling based thought process. The outrage someone feels, based on the powerlessness of a situation is again normal, but our justice system is designed to keep those emotions in check, and argue from reason and law.
It is quite normal to feel, to have impulses, to long for revenge or retribution....but it is only the striving to rise above these lower impulses to act in the world with reason and law as our guide that will give us any chance of evolving as a society, both spiritually and in a secular manner.
Oh, and animals have no power of forgiveness, acceptance, and faith in God and God's will.....only man has those options.
Quote from hapaboy:
It is inescapable that those who are against capital punishment have more compassion for the criminal than the victim.
Yes, they clamor over and over that Life Without Parole is the answer, yet these are the same anti-capital punishment fanatics who complain about prison overcrowding. In the meantime, the justice system as it is allows such criminals out over and over by the thousands each year. ..
And when the criminal is released, and murders others like your cousin, they are silent.
Ask a Leftie how they would feel if their daughter was the victim of a repeat child sex offender, and they do what Zzzztroll did when asked: avoid the question.