The Justice System Is Broken
Just Mercy
by Bryan Stevenson
Law/Social Justice
TL;DR
Okay, so the TLDR is: the justice system is screwed up, especially for poor people and minorities. To fix it, you gotta get close to the problem (like, actually show up), believe people's stories (stop assuming everyone's lying), never give up even when it's hopeless (clutch that tiny spark of hope), and remember that everyone, even people who did bad stuff, is more than their worst act and sometimes deserves mercy, not just maximum punishment. It's about fighting the system by seeing the human in everyone.
Action Items
Instead of just doomscrolling about a local problem, find one community event or volunteer opportunity related to it and actually show up for 30 minutes. Or, if a friend's struggling, ditch the texts and actually go see them.
Today, when someone tells you something that sounds wild or you're quick to judge, pause. Ask them to explain more and genuinely try to see it from their side, even if you don't agree.
Pick one thing you've almost given up on – a project, a goal, a relationship. Today, do one tiny, almost laughably small action towards it, just to prove you still have a pulse.
Someone messes up today, big or small? Instead of instantly canceling them or holding a grudge, try to understand why it happened and offer a path forward, even if it's just a moment of forgiveness.
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Key Chapter
Chapter - Getting Close to the Problem
Okay, so this chapter is all about how you can't actually fix anything big and broken, like the justice system, if you're just chilling far away, tweeting about it. Stevenson is like, nah, you gotta get proximate. That means you gotta actually go hang out with the people who are getting screwed over. Like, literally go to the jail, sit with them, hear their messed-up stories. It's not enough to just know injustice exists; you have to feel it and understand it from the ground level. It's uncomfortable, yeah, but that's where the real work happens and where you find the motivation to actually do something useful. Stop doomscrolling, start showing up.
Key Methods and Approaches
Getting Your Hands Dirty
(AKA: Proximity)
Description:
You gotta physically get near the people who are suffering or being treated unfairly to actually understand and help them.
Explanation:
It's like trying to fix your friend's terrible dating life by just giving advice over text. You gotta actually see them interact with people, maybe go out with them, witness the trainwreck firsthand to know what's really going on. You gotta get close enough to smell the BS, basically.
Examples:
Actually visiting someone in jail instead of just sending letters.
Spending time in neighborhoods affected by crime or poverty, not just driving through.
Listening to someone's personal story face-to-face, not just reading a news article about them.
Volunteering at a local shelter or community center.
Today's Action:
Instead of just doomscrolling about a local problem, find one community event or volunteer opportunity related to it and actually show up for 30 minutes. Or, if a friend's struggling, ditch the texts and actually go see them.
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