All of us have presuppositions about the moral foundations of the world. Some have articulated these ideas clearly, but most simply work off of cloudy ideas that we learned in childhood or from knowledge accumulated in our lives. School, work, religion, friends, family - these all influence how we define morality. Anyone who crashes into a situation that contradicts these presuppositions suddenly finds themselves on shaky ground.
I find myself thinking a lot about Javert recently. An honest man, but fatally flawed. He could not adjust his foundational ideas when confronted with more profound truth. Grace could not coexist with justice. Love could not be a law. Black and white had to rule, with no room for grey.
All of us have Javert moments when it feels as if the world has been turned inside out. I'm sure it is rare for reality to mirror the clarity of Les Mis, but still, every day holds the possibility of a challenge to our beliefs.
My hope and prayer is to never act like Javert. To accept grace instead of giving up. Our presuppositions can only take over our lives if we allow them.
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