Just when you run with reasons no more, you go stumble into pieces of yourself that slowly come into shape on its own all over again.
For a while I’ve been desperate for reasons. I guess that’s the price you have to pay for many things about studying the law. You are trained to think with reasons. Even if they are scarce, you employ magic just so you can have one or two to justify anything worth-standing for. Yet many times, your rational system just won’t elicit any. And you’re forced to settle. Yes, settle is the word in legal parlance. And settle is a fitting word in layman’s term too.
And so when I was seemingly in dire need of reasons..good and plausible ones..practical and motivating in any way, I knew I only had to settle then. And the results were no less, as luckily always has been, surprisingly remarkable. I’m thankful I chose to settle, not in the compromising sense of the word but that I had only to look into my tiny pocket of steadfastness.
The child, barely in her growing innocence, seemingly had so much to take at such a fragile age. It was my first practical and actual take of a child abuse case. Yes I know, even without skimming thru the law itself, what child abuse is --- that cliché social predicament of our times. But there is really nothing like a hands-on take on the matter. And so I braced myself for quite a story the child had to share. But the trauma and fear showed on those tiny sad-looking eyes staring straight back at me. She couldn’t utter the words that would describe what her good gracious father did to her. I guess the meekness speaks enough then.
And I was brought back to my senses.
Apart from the new legal lessons I earned while doing the task, I was taken aback by the arrows hitting me from all over. The arrows of reasons. That encounter with a child abuse victim brought me back to my senses. That encounter with a child abuse victim gave me reasons a thousandfold then again all over.
For a while I’ve been desperate for reasons. I guess that’s the price you have to pay for many things about studying the law. You are trained to think with reasons. Even if they are scarce, you employ magic just so you can have one or two to justify anything worth-standing for. Yet many times, your rational system just won’t elicit any. And you’re forced to settle. Yes, settle is the word in legal parlance. And settle is a fitting word in layman’s term too.
And so when I was seemingly in dire need of reasons..good and plausible ones..practical and motivating in any way, I knew I only had to settle then. And the results were no less, as luckily always has been, surprisingly remarkable. I’m thankful I chose to settle, not in the compromising sense of the word but that I had only to look into my tiny pocket of steadfastness.
The child, barely in her growing innocence, seemingly had so much to take at such a fragile age. It was my first practical and actual take of a child abuse case. Yes I know, even without skimming thru the law itself, what child abuse is --- that cliché social predicament of our times. But there is really nothing like a hands-on take on the matter. And so I braced myself for quite a story the child had to share. But the trauma and fear showed on those tiny sad-looking eyes staring straight back at me. She couldn’t utter the words that would describe what her good gracious father did to her. I guess the meekness speaks enough then.
And I was brought back to my senses.
Apart from the new legal lessons I earned while doing the task, I was taken aback by the arrows hitting me from all over. The arrows of reasons. That encounter with a child abuse victim brought me back to my senses. That encounter with a child abuse victim gave me reasons a thousandfold then again all over.
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