Paul de Souza: Justice and Mercy Virtues of a Leader

July 16th, 12:28 in the a.m. I wake up from a dream and a strong prompt or impression, which drives me to write a few thoughts. From an early age, I have, for the most part, documented early morning prompts. Two powerful words permeate my mind from this morning’s moment of clarity: Justice and Mercy. As a father, husband, son, and a leader in various capacities, it is my responsibility to share moments of inspiration. I believe that throughout our lives we struggle to find the right balance between justice and mercy as we make our daily decisions. Justice must be satisfied, much like hunger. A hungry person will eat to satisfy his or her appetite. However, when someone overeats, that person crosses the line from satisfying the hunger into what many consider to be unhealthy behavior. Laws are supposed to be founded on the right balance of justice and mercy. As a society, we seek justice. Usually, in life we are driven by justice, but very often we tend to forget about the noble virtue of being merciful.

King Solomon was a king in Israel who reigned from around 970 to 931 BC. King Solomon was the son of King David and was well-known for his wisdom because he sought discernment to be a leader who was both just and merciful.

In ancient Rome, the concept of mercy or “Clementia” was strategically used when Romans vanquished their enemies. Victorious over many nations, the Romans applied the virtue of mercy to soften the hatred by the ones being conquered. The restraint of oneself was the ultimate show of real victory. Mercy is a subset of the 4 cardinal virtues as it relates to temperance or “Temperantia.”

As demonstrated in these powerful examples from history, I believe that finding the right balance between justice and mercy is quite possibly one of the most challenging feats a leader can accomplish in life. The pursuit of justice and mercy must be a cornerstone of strong leadership when making hard decisions that will affect our own lives and the lives of those we lead.

How do you strategically balance justice and mercy when leading others? I invite you to comment with your thoughts.

Paul de Souza, CSFI Founder President