Blog: The Care and Feeding of Human Connection
The point of these writings will be to give guided tours of the landscape of Restorative Justice Practices (RJP). It’s vast. Not unlike our biological ecosystem. Restoration cultivates an interpersonal ecosystem that includes cultural traditions, human habits, relationships of all kinds, rules and norms governing behavior, and so on. No one could cover it all, and it is constantly evolving. We’ll visit specific situations where the approach is being used, and we’ll occasionally note where RJP is abused. At other times, we’ll climb up a tall hill where we can see broad issues affecting the field as a whole.
We’re hoping to reach a wide variety of people, from the merely curious to veteran practitioners. In super-brief, Restorative Justice is about healing those involved in wrong-doing, especially the victims, instead of relying on punishing the wrong-doer, as if punishment itself resolves conflict. Restorative Practices are the umbrella that includes the Justice protocols, but uses its principles to deal with issues beyond crime and misbehavior, in order to build relationships and maintain our communities. If this is new territory to you, the RJP 101 on our website or our Curated Library will get you started.
The Fig Tree
My mother had a beautiful fig tree in the backyard. When it began to wither, she tried pesticides and cutting back the branches. Nothing helped, and her fig tree was dying. Finally, she brought in a tree specialist. They said that a virus had settled in the tree, and to keep the tree alive would just add to its suffering.
Podcasts with different perspectives on how to help.
True to our belief in the principles of restorative practices, these podcasts offer diverse perspectives on life during these times.
