Justice vs Mercy

"The quality of mercy is not strain'd,

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice"

 - Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

There has been an ongoing debate between justice and mercy. True, the mercy is an important and divine attribute, but what is it exactly? And what is justice which is the opposite of mercy?

Mercy - Mercy is a word used to describe compassion shown by one person to another, or a request from one person to another to be shown such leniency or unwarranted compassion for a crime or wrongdoing. (adapted from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercy)

Justice - Justice is the concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, fairness, or equity. (adapted from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice)

So, which side are you on? I personally feel that while one should always show mercy, it is best mixed with justice. As the quote says, mercy is an attribute that benefits both parties, unlike justice, so why do I support a mix? I could refer to many incidents in the real world. On example would be the Oliver Fricker case here in Singapore. In case you do not know what happened, Oliver Fricker trespassed into an MRT depot and "vandalized" on one of the train carriages. He was sentenced to 5 months jail and 3 strokes of the cane. This is justice at work. Oliver Fricker did something wrong (in terms of the Singapore law) and thus is punished for his actions. Many would say that this is fair to Oliver; he committed a crime, but he did no harm to others, why is he harmed (3 strokes) in return? In this case, mercy should of course be shown. While it is stated in the law that it is fair to be caned for vandalism, compassion should also be shown, as everyone deserves a second chance, or even a third. But, if mercy is shown, and not justice, then criminals can go and do what they want and get away with it. Therefore, while justice is important, one should not forget mercy, as it is after all, "an attribute to God himself".

Mugging.

Hi all, it's been a long while (a month?).

Well, today, my topic will be on well, as mentioned above, mugging! Firstly, what is mugging? First, from dictionary.com -- an assault or threat of violence upon a person, esp. with intent to rob. Well, not what I was looking for. How about another online dictionary, like yourdictionary.com? To study hard and hurriedly, as in preparation for an examination. Yep. To study hard due to well, procrastination. So, mugging means to do last minute studying.

Now for my understanding of the word "mugging", based on experience, of course. Mugging refers to memorizing of tested material (of a test/examination) so as to pass or do well in it. It's my definition, you may disagree, but I believe that the material is memorized, and while it may be understood at that moment, it will eventually be forgotten once the examination is over. And thus I am strongly against it.

In my opinion, the knowledge one learns should already be in one's memory and he should understand it completely (how it works, why, etc.) and not memorized for a period of time. What is the purpose of examinations? To test your knowledge. If you just memorize what is tested and then forget it after, then is it considered "your knowledge"? I doubt so. As such, I believe that one should not "mug", but instead revise. My definition of revise? To go through all your past works and test yourself; if you do not understand it, do some research, ask questions, etc. After all, one might forget what he mugged and... you know.

Personally, I believe more in ability than in luck, which is why I feel guilty whenever I put in a random answer so as to have a chance of getting it correct. Sometimes, that one mark might be the difference between a grade, or even between passing and failing. So, in this competitive world, sometimes, we must do things we do not think so highly of, in order to do better, and that is probably the main reason why people mug in the first place. Of course, I would say that I do not mug, but while it may be the truth, it isn't reliable coming from me, so never mind.


Well. to mug or not to mug - that is the question. To me, the answer is no, I would rather revise and understand what I was taught, but you are still free to make a choice. You decide.