Private Justice

Private justice is simple. It doesn't require law books. It doesn't require court rooms. It doesn't require years of education. All it requires is a sense of justice and an inquisitive and creative mind. Hence, anyone can wield justice if they so wish, and I think we'll see more people realize this as we move forward.

The state run system is corrupt and inefficient. It's rigged, and a private individual is unlikely to achieve anything but trivial victories. Real grievances come to nothing. But this is no reason to give up. Justice doesn't have to come from within the system, and it doesn't have to cost the farm. It can be dished out privately without much fuss.

This is a central point in my book, and something I believe the time has come to implement in practical terms. As a sovereign individual I don't have to register this intent with anybody, and I don't have to make my services known to the system. I don't have to explain anything to anybody. I can simply act out my intent within the community I'm part of.

My conversation with my wife's friend yesterday illustrates how this works. I mentioned natural law and red lines, and I suggested she contact me if she feels that any of this is being violated. I told her I had ideas on what to do. Apart from that, our conversation was centered around practical matters related to her particular problem. It was clear that no special action was warranted. This is not the time to hand out retribution.

As a private individual, I have no laws to protect me. If I make a mistake, it falls on me to pay. Hence, I cannot act with the of arrogance that is common within the system. I'm not above the law. If I make a mistake, I will be subject to the law just as much as anyone.

This is the beauty of natural law. It limits the power of the justice system. Justice can only be dished out where there's a clear case of transgression. Otherwise, the ill informed vigilante becomes the target of the same law that he was trying to uphold. To stay on the safe side, justice must be delivered in such a way that no reasonable person sees it as anything but a just deserve for the culprit.

On the other hand, natural law makes it easy to determine when someone is acting out of line. Culprits may think themselves protected by the laws of the system, but natural law reveals this to be corruption rather than justice. Hence, private arbitrators can give victims advice on how to deal with injustices. Arbitrators can also dish out retribution as part of their services. Private justice doesn't operate with phony distinctions between law and retribution.

Going forward, I'll keep an ear out for cases such as the one experienced by my wife's friend. I'll be more proactive than I have been so far, and I will offer my services for free, at least to start with. This is not about money, but about the need to construct a new order centered around private justice.

My vision of things is that sovereign individuals take up the pursuit of justice as a natural part of their lives. Each of us operate within our community. We assist friends and family in resolving disputes, which is no different from how we normally act. However, we don't stop at that. We recommend bypassing the court system as much as possible. We point out that we can make our own decisions regarding the damage done and what might be a good retribution or strategy for compensation.

In complicated cases, we may know other sovereigns that can help. The trick is to know who these individuals are and to what extent they can be trusted to do whatever seems reasonable in face of the injustice we're up against.

For this to succeed, it's essential that we don't come across as lawless thugs. We must emphasis natural law and our natural right to seek compensation and retribution. Conversations with victims must be level headed and calming. We're not the mafia. We're the good guys, and retribution is only dished out to those who deserve it, and it's done in a manner that fits the crime. Public shaming is the right option in most criminal cases. In cases of accidents and mishaps, a reasonable monetary compensation can be negotiated. The key is to avoid the costly and corrupt court system and sort things out privately instead.

I don't expect to come across many cases. It's not like I'm planning a career around this. However, if the corruption in our courts continues, people will increasingly look for advice outside the courts, and that's when things get interesting. People are ready for a new system, and every sovereign should encourage people to employ private justice rather than pinning their hopes on reforming the courts. A new market driven system will be both cheaper and fairer than the corrupt system we have today.

A local community by the river Douro