Copyright Madison Woods
“The law is the ruin of civilization,” said one man. “It corrupts all it feeds and shelters. Hung in its loopholes and shot down by its enforcers, even the innocent fall victim to its blind spots.”
“Point of order,” shouted another man. “Civilization as we know it would cease to exist without the law. Matters of life and death require obedience to it! Durable peace is impossible in its absence. The sacred and the secular prove its worth.”
Arguments raged until one man decided to shoot the moon.
“There are two types of law: just and unjust,” he said boldly.
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Thanks for Reading
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I am suspended in some sort of wacky writing limbo as I try to finish yet another paper. I’m struggling to fit my assessment of a controversial public policy onto three pages, no easy task for someone with ginormous opinions. My son says my academic writing is hyperbolic. My husband says my fiction writing is treading in the deep end. All I can say is that I was over the moon about the Friday Fictioneer prompt, courtesy of Madison Woods, but could not get 100 words in order until today. It’s late, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway.
Honie Briggs 
Love how you have succinctly stated the debate over law and its pitfalls.
I say don’t listen to your son or your husband, trust your gut and write… but then, that would be another opinion! Love this piece, Stephanie… good luck with the paper! I know you can do it. Well.
Sounds like your family has some opinions too. It must be an interesting household!
Interesting. Yes, that’s the word. 🙂
I suspect the subject matter invites hyperbole at times. Loved the 100 word debate.
Oh yes, it certainly does. The subject matter swings from objectionable to outrageous.
Excellent point! But I would say there are actually three types of law:
1. Just
2. Unjust
3. Jude
You are hilarious, Mr. Petruska.
I have my moments.
Well, thanks for sharing them with me. I need to laugh more these days.
It was the worth the wait, Honie. This is a gem! I like that you’re in the deep end. Much luck on the paper!
Thanks, Amy. I need all the luck I can get.
A great way to present these questions and good food for thought. Who decides on what is just? I see the two sides as one: trying to maintain power over lives/events for as many people as possible, or the other: for a small group only.
I believe each of us decides for ourselves, but we are strongly influenced by our earliest experiences. The first lessons about justice are perhaps learned on the playground.
Dear Stephonie,
I’m happy to see you whenever you show up. How much longer for school? You raise interesting questions here. I love the way you used the prompt. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
Dear Rochelle,
May 2016 cannot come soon enough. Next up – a study of human trafficking, physical anthropology, volunteer program planning & eval., and nutrition. It’s down to the wire after that with one final emergency admin./disaster planning class, one more dispute resolution class, a history, and a math. Then it will be time to dust off my resume.
Still Smiling,
Honie
quite a debate on law, interesting piece
I think it is interesting that law abiding citizens pay the price for law makers and law breakers. It’s a complicated system to be sure, and one that demands strict scrutiny.
Academic writing seems to invite hyperbole, doesn’t it? Always difficult to rein in the pontificating. At least for me, it is. 🙂
Without it, all I can think when I read some of my papers is – what’s the point? if I don’t add my own opinion, it hardly seems worth the hours of research. 🙂
Agreed.
I really enjoyed your 100 words today. Is it part of a longer piece? Ω
Not exactly. Three papers I’ve written this summer kinda converged, all revolving around laws. I may share them, or parts of them, when I have some time to edit them a bit for a blog audience.
I look forward to reading whatever you put together for us. I am impressed by your persistence with your schoolwork. Go get’em, Stephanie. Ω
I’ve spent too much money to stop now. Too bad that whole “free college” thing won’t kick in before I graduate.
It might be like “free advice”—only worth what you spent for it… Ω