There are plenty of people that believe that what society needs is more law and order, so that, those that are misbehaving can be put in their place, and by doing so, society will be the better for it. While there is a time to impose order upon the population and against certain individuals of that population, we do so find that more law and order, in and by itself, without getting to the foundational root of the problem is not ever going to resolve the issues that need to be addressed more effectively, through the integration of empathy, consideration, and kindness, when so appropriate.
The crux of the issue with the call for ever more law and order, or basically for more punishment to those that are causing trouble is the fact that to believe that we can hide away our problems by incarceration or similar will resolve all problems just isn’t going to be true. Further to the point, justice that doesn’t take into account the conditions that make for uncivil behavior is not actually justice but really represents something that conveniently addresses only the visible issue that is considered to be not socially proper, without bothering to wonder why it is still occurring, time and time again.
A kinder society is always going to be a society that reasonable people do desire to gravitate to, because kindness and the empathy that kindness consists of, help to make for a more inclusive and a more caring society, which understands better that we are all in this together, and together we must determine to resolve the issues of our time to help make society a better place for our good participation in it. This signifies that the objective of a healthy society should be to do more for one another so that through those relationships, we become more integrated into friendship, and of the lending of a helping hand, where so needed.
To be kind isn’t necessarily the easy thing, because some situations don’t lend themselves easily to being kind and considerate, especially when we feel that we have been wronged, but nevertheless, a lot of those things that bother us, aren’t that big of a deal, when we get our perspective right, and the more that we can show consideration to the other, even when it appears to be undeserved, the more that we will get those that are struggling with their own issues, to understand that frustration, hatred, and striking out against others, is not conducive for good relationships, whatsoever.
So too, there is enough history in societies to understand that straight punishment for crime, doesn’t make for a more considerate society but rather serves often to create discord and dissent, because of the perceived injustices of those actions, in many a case. Indeed, societies have tried to use punishment as a way and means to control the population to its content, but it doesn’t really work all that well – which is why society would be far better served by expressing more kindness and consideration, instead, and it might just find that by doing so, life will be better, in whole.