A Call for Justice

When authors starts writing a story, they usually have to figure out the character. This can range from taking a test on 16personalities.com, to doing a character questionnaire, to having a random bullet-point list of stuff about them, to writing an in-depth biography, to just writing the story and finding out what the character is like and what he’s been through. I do both. Most of the time I just write my story and discover as I write what the character is like, but I do also take quizzes and write biographies. 

Regardless of how he sets about it, the bottom line is that any author is going to craft character as he writes. One thing you discover extremely fast is that no character is the same. They can have the same name, same job, same family, same nationality, same city, same race, same hair or eye colour... and yet they will be completely different. You know that. 

Even if they have the same personality type, characters will be different. For instance, in two of my books, I have an ENFP (Adalyne Kemp), an ISFJ (Nathan Kemp), an ISTJ (Jennifer Gray), and an ENFJ (Jerry Gray). 

ENFP

ENFJ

ISFJ

ISTJ

Just one letter different, but boy, does it ever make a difference. No one would ever confuse Jerry and Adalyne, or Jennifer and Nathan. Nathan and Jerry have only two letters different, but they are completely unalike. Even if you have two characters with the same letters (for example, both MCs from Victoria Minks’ Jonas & Olivia are INFP), they will be totally different. For the record, I am ESFJ, and I have a friend who is an ESFJ, but we are still quite different. Personality is extremely complex. Ask anyone who has looked into it. People can have completely conflicting characteristics. For instance, you can be very shy, but also really enjoy being the centre of attention. You can be extremely lazy but very goal-motivated and hard-working. 

Anyone crafting characters knows (or finds out really soon) that many things affect a person’s character. Their upbringing. Big moments in their life. Their family and friends. Their personality. The things they’ve seen and read. Their opinions, prejudices, visions, likes and dislikes. There is so much that goes into making someone who they are. We’re all unique to start with, but then you start adding completely different life happenings on top and people become more and more different. I can’t express how much character crafting makes this obvious. My American characters aren’t like my French ones. My characters who were brought up in Christian homes are nothing like those who were abused. Out of the hundred of characters I have ever created, I do not think there is ONE who was 100% alike as another one. They. are. all. unique. Backstory plays a HUGE role in crafting who you are. 

In short, it is utterly ridiculous to say that people are all the same. They’re not. It’s a blatant lie. Look around you. There is practically nothing that is 100% unique--even man-made things! Two notebooks can be 99% different and yet one can be a bit darker than the other. No two paintings are alike. No two meals. Nothing that we make with our imperfect hands is perfectly similar. When we come to things God has created, the diversity is even greater, because He is a God of diversity. Flowers, plants, birds, bees, animals... there is nothing that He has created that is not unique. And then you come to humans, who were created in God’s own Image. Each one is different. There has never been anyone who is 100% similar to anyone else in all of history. In the 6,000 years or so of the history of the world, out of the billions of humans God ever gave life to, not one was ever a reprinting of someone else. What about fingerprints? DNA? It’s a biological FACT that we are all unique. 

You know that. So why do you ignore it? Why do you generalize? Why do you lump people together? Why do you slap labels? Why do you do blanket assumptions? Why do you judge someone based on someone else who was somewhat similar (notice how vague that is??)? The plain and simple fact is that this is INJUSTICE and FOLLY. It is never just to judge someone based on what a family member did. Why is it right to judge them by what someone of the same race, or town, or country, or profession did? It isn’t. It’s flat-out wrong. It’s a gross injustice. And I mean gross in the sense that it is a tremendous injustice, but it’s also applicable in the sense that it’s disgusting.

Call out the wrong. We must. It is our duty. But it is also our duty to be just. And judging, hating, and assuming on anyone because of what someone else did is UNJUST. You would be so indignant if because of something your sibling did people hated you. SO QUIT DOING IT. Yes, there are bad white people. Yes, there are bad black people. Yes, there are bad Americans. Yes, there are bad police officers. Yes, there are bad Minnesotans. Yes, there are bad Minneapolis citizens. Yes, there are bad officials. Yes, there are bad rioters. YES, THERE ARE BAD HUMANS. But Cain killing his brother didn’t make all his siblings murderers. Pharaoh hardening his heart didn’t make all Egyptians wicked. Barak being a chicken didn’t make all the Israelites cowards. Judas being a traitor didn’t make all the disciples betrayers. 

What about the 12 spies Moses sent into Canaan? The 10 doubting God didn’t make Joshua and Caleb disbelieving too.

The bottom line is this: Judging someone based on someone else is WRONG. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you—you don’t want to be judged by what someone else did, don’t judge others by what another else did. 

And at the end of the day, God is the Judge. Not you. Judge yourself before you judge someone else, and even then, be careful. 

Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. 

But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. 

And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 

But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, Who will render to every man according to his deeds.

Remember to love. 

Remember to forgive. 

Remember to be Christlike. 

Jesus called out wrong without fear.

He also reached out to those who were in sin to help them. 

He also prayed for His own executioners.

He died for them too.

That’s the difference between God and man.

Which one do you want to be like?