Young People Ask . . .

How Can I Cope With Injustice?

“Only those who have money are respected, but we who don’t even have anything to eat or anywhere to sleep are treated like animals. If I expect anything for the future, it is to die without anyone taking notice.”—Arnulfo, a 15-year-old homeless boy.

THERE is much injustice in the world. A report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said: “In the last decade, more than 2 million children have been killed during wars, while more than 4 million have survived physical mutilation and more than 1 million have been orphaned or separated from their families as a result of war.” Hunger and poverty, also afflicting a large portion of the world’s population, often exist side by side with wealth and abundance. In developing lands, many young ones like Arnulfo are denied the opportunity to obtain an education.

Injustice is particularly painful when it is inflicted by those who are supposed to love and protect you. Consider a 17-year-old girl named Susana. Her mother abandoned her and her two younger brothers. “Years have gone by,” Susana says bitterly, “and my mother has never asked me to live with her, even though she lives in the same town as I do. She has never so much as told me, ‘I love you,’ and this is something that has always made me mad and still does.” When you are a victim of such mistreatment, you may find it difficult to contain your anger. One victim of childhood molestation says: “It has even made me feel bad toward God.”

It is only natural to feel hurt and angry when you have been mistreated. The Bible says: “Mere oppression may make a wise one act crazy.” (Ecclesiastes 7:7) Living with injustice every day of your life can also make you feel depressed. (Compare Psalm 43:2.) You may therefore yearn for an end to injustice. A young girl from Central America recalls: “At the age of 13, I joined the student movement. I had a dream to contribute to make things change, so that children would not be hungry. . . . Later I joined the armed struggle.” Instead of finding justice, however, she experienced unspeakable abuses at the hands of her fellow soldiers.

Such situations remind us that most people are powerless to improve their situation. How, then, can victims of injustice cope?a How might you deal with the bitterness and anger that you may feel?

Putting Away Bitterness and Anger

From time to time, you may need to remind yourself that we are living in “the last days” of this system of things. The Bible foretold that people today would be “abusive, . . . without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous.” (2 Timothy 3:1-4, New International Version) Many are “past all moral sense.” (Ephesians 4:19) Injustice is therefore an inescapable fact of life. So “if you see any oppression of the one of little means and the violent taking away of judgment and of righteousness in a jurisdictional district, do not be amazed over the affair.”—Ecclesiastes 5:8.

With good reason the Bible warns against letting bitterness consume you. For example, it says: “Let all malicious bitterness and anger and wrath . . . be taken away from you.” (Ephesians 4:31) Why? Because in the long run, remaining bitterly angry is harmful and self-destructive. (Compare Proverbs 14:30; Ephesians 4:26, 27.) This is particularly so if you find yourself “enraged against Jehovah.” (Proverbs 19:3) Being angry at God puts you on bad terms with the very One who can help you the most. The Bible says that Jehovah’s “eyes are roving about through all the earth to show his strength in behalf of those whose heart is complete toward him.”—2 Chronicles 16:9.

The Bible also says of Jehovah: “All his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice; righteous and upright is he.” (Deuteronomy 32:4) Injustice came about because of the rebellion of Adam and Eve. (Ecclesiastes 7:29) Man—not God—has “dominated man to his injury.” (Ecclesiastes 8:9) Remember, too, that “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one,” Satan the Devil. (1 John 5:19) Satan, not Jehovah, is behind the world’s injustices.

An End to Injustice

Fortunately, injustice will not go on forever. Keeping that in mind can help you to cope. Consider the experience of a man named Asaph, who lived in Bible times. Injustices were taking place all around him, even though he lived among people who claimed to serve Jehovah. Instead of being punished for their mistreatment of others, cruel people seemed to be living trouble-free and prosperous lives! Asaph admits: “I became envious . . . when I would see the very peace of wicked people.” Asaph temporarily lost his balance by allowing himself to become preoccupied with such things.—Psalm 73:1-12.

In time, Asaph came to a dramatic realization. He said regarding the wicked: “Surely on slippery ground is where you [God] place them. You have made them fall to ruins.” (Psalm 73:16-19) Yes, Asaph came to understand that in the long run, people really do not get away with wickedness. Often, their wrongdoing catches up with them, and they suffer imprisonment, financial ruin, loss of employment, or removal from positions of power. At the very latest, the wicked will “fall to ruins” when God executes judgment upon this wicked system of things.—Psalm 10:15, 17, 18; 37:9-11.

Knowing that God will correct matters in the near future can help you to contain your anger and frustration. “Return evil for evil to no one,” admonishes the Bible. “Provide fine things in the sight of all men. If possible, as far as it depends upon you, be peaceable with all men. Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but yield place to the wrath; for it is written: ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says Jehovah.’”—Romans 12:17-19; compare 1 Peter 2:23.

Getting Help and Support

It may be, though, that you carry deep emotional scars, such as painful memories. According to a report by UNICEF, “children who have been continually exposed to violence almost always experience a significant change in their beliefs and attitudes, including a fundamental loss of trust in others. This is especially true of children who have been attacked or abused by people previously considered neighbours or friends.”

There is no quick fix for such problems. But if negative feelings or painful memories are dominating your thinking, you likely need help. (Compare Psalm 119:133.) First, you might read material that specifically deals with the difficulties you have experienced. Awake! magazine, for example, has published a number of articles that give practical advice to victims of rape, robbery, and child abuse. Sharing your anxieties and feelings with a mature, empathetic listener can be of much help. (Proverbs 12:25) Perhaps you can confide in your parents.

But what if parental support is not available? Then seek support from the Christian congregation. Among Jehovah’s Witnesses, congregation elders serve as a refuge for those who suffer. (Isaiah 32:1, 2) Not only will they listen to you but they may also have some practical advice to offer. Don’t forget, too, that other mature Christians can serve as “brothers and sisters and mothers” to you. (Mark 10:29, 30) Do you recall Susana, who was abandoned by her mother? She and her siblings got support from the Christian congregation. One Christian minister took such an interest in Susana’s family that she calls him her adoptive father. Such support, says Susana, “has helped us to mature and stand firm in the truth.”

Experts say that maintaining a daily routine of meaningful activities can also be helpful. Simply going to school and doing your household chores can do a lot to keep your mind off negative thoughts. You will particularly benefit, though, from following a routine of spiritual activities—attending Christian meetings and preaching the good news.—Compare Philippians 3:16.

Injustices will not disappear from the earth until God’s Kingdom comes and carries out God’s will earth wide. (Daniel 2:44; Matthew 6:9, 10) In the meantime, do what you can to cope. Sustain yourself with the promise that as the Ruler of God’s Kingdom, Jesus Christ will “deliver the poor one crying for help, also the afflicted one and whoever has no helper. He will feel sorry for the lowly one and the poor one, and the souls of the poor ones he will save.”—Psalm 72:12, 13.

[Footnote]

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“It has even made me feel bad toward God”

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The support of fellow Christians can help you to cope with injustices