The Year of Salt & Light
Injustice, large and small
Social Responsibility Officer Justin Arnott reflects on recent events in the context of Salt & Light
What struck me in the recent riots and the follow-up, besides the obvious wrongness, was how individuals have been identified and prosecuted for their actions. Mob mentality, or group behaviour, is often pointed to and in some of the cases it would seem that people were just going about their daily business before being swept into the riot.
This is obviously not a valid excuse and has not worked as a legal defence. For me it highlights the challenge of the individual versus the crowd. How would we react? Looking through history we can see many other occasions when seemingly good people have been swept up into bad practices or behaviour. The premise of Year of Salt & Light is that as individuals we can make a change, a positive impact on those closest to us and wider society rather than being swept up or lost in the masses.
Events like these are fortunately not the norm. What is far more common are the everyday situations of gossip, intolerance, spite or even indifference that the world tolerates because no one is obviously harmed or no laws are broken. Indifference or inaction is a particular plague in our society these days. To quote Bishop Desmond Tutu, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”
Yet are people indifferent or choosing to do nothing more often? This can be hard to judge if we simply monitor the media. The daily live update of people facing court and overcrowding in prisons seems to only focus on those appearing in court and their sentencing. Even the coverage of the riots overwhelmed the coverage of peaceful protests against the violence and its causes.
Our challenge is at least two-fold. First, we need to stand up against not only the causes of the recent riots but also the smaller everyday injustices. Secondly, we need to resist the temptation to throw in the towel or stand by seeking the seemingly safer option to remain neutral.
The how is more than simply ‘Jesus’. It is by being with and practising what he taught. By practically following his example and seeking the strength he promised through the Holy Spirit we will, one act at a time, transform not just society as a whole, but the close group and circle of people we meet in our daily life. We are the salt that preserves and adds flavour and the light that not only reveals injustice, but lights a way forward towards the light and hope of all.