DC

There is, apparently, a meme doing the rounds where people are wishing for peace. fjm says that she cannot join in because, An unjust peace is no peace at all, and that’s all the Middle East has seen for sixty years.

I think she is right, both morally and practically (an unjust peace would merely sow the seeds of futre conflict). She suggests that we wish instead for justice. I am not sure about that, although I applaud the sentiment.

I am wary of wishing justice upon anyone, or any group. One of my gods — not that I have a lot of contact with him — is Týr, who is closely associated with justice. (He is also a warrior god, but one who is often seen as being motivated by a desire for justice.) Those who have had some contact with him often say that one should be wary of approaching him and asking for justice, because justice is precisely what you will get. It seems to me that true justice in the Middle East would be a terrible thing.

Possibly it is the best that one might wish for; certainly, I look at the Middle East and it seems to be a place where a just peace will never come, and the carnage will go on indefinitely. Despair... I can’t think of any other reaction that fits. I am no longer even angry at some of the deeds, or words, or specious justifications of brutal actions... It is a morass of hatred and oppression.

I can understand the desire to see an end to the conflicts there. But to just wish for peace...

I cannot help but recall the words attributed by Tacitus to Galgacus: “They make it a desert and call it peace.” I can see that being the outcome in that area. Perhaps wishing for justice would be a better option, at that.