even fewer to graduation. Jurisprudence is the foundation of our great nation, predating it by hundreds of years. As the bedrock of democracy, it is the original cloth from which the finest fabric of our free society – justice - was cut. Whether we care to admit it or not, we live on the edge of chaos in our everyday lives. This is evidenced by the multitude of news stories in which that edge is crossed, not just by the horrendous crimes of spilled blood or lost innocence, but also by every small action placing one’s self-interest over the rights of another.
The Socratic method of teaching has not died with the world’s early century philosophers. It stands as an open doorway for every law student who chooses to accept the invitation. It challenges common sense and common decency in some ways. Who among us has not been ridiculed by an elementary teacher who chides us for answering a question with a question, or a parent who scolds the ever-inquisitive young mind? The curiosity which allegedly led to the cat’s demise is also the catalyst for a thousand inventions and tens of thousands who still dream of future inventions.
Make no mistake; the law will not be mocked. Not by the hardened criminal whose recidivism enrages the citizenry, nor by the crooked judge who hides behind a robe of authority and grabs the filthy gains of crime. And not by the frivolous plaintiff who lives well on fabricated wrongs he or she has suffered. The law still stands honorable and strong; rooted in truth – seemingly tottering at times – but never toppled.
For thousands, attending the hallowed halls of law school is merely a business venture. It is nothing more than a means to a lucrative end. They search for a doctorate to hang on the wall so that by this magical parchment they can climb the ladder of fortune. For those students, this perspective of jurisprudence may be missed as a meaningless hyperbole. They may tolerate ethics as a part of their educational requirements, but it never germinates into a meaningful part of their lives or their practices.
But I want to be someone who aspires to more than monetary fulfillment. I want to know in my core that there is, in these studies, a gift to be received and then given away again. It is this desire that motivates me to stay the course. I hope always to have “making a difference” as my first priority. I hope always to persevere for the right reasons. My goal is to one day use my God-given talents for His glory, not for my own.
She put the journal back in her bag and shook her head. It was not written very well, but it was still how she felt. Some may call her a native idealist, but, she did not mind, as long as she did not lose her reason for being here. She pulled out her legal pad and went to work. It was going to be a long night. Happy that no one else was around to disturb her, she immediately dove into the case law. She had been there about an hour before it happened.
His cold hands wrapped around her neck and squeezed firmly. She jumped and let slip a startled cry. The books stacked on the table where she had been studying teetered precariously near the table’s end. She felt his presence as his lips neared her right ear. It was his smell she recognized first. Sweet, warm breath commingled with his manly aftershave. She knew it well.
“Jason, you nearly gave me a heart attack, you jerk.” Her genuine affection for him belied the insult.
He whispered playfully into her ear, “Dale, sweetheart, what’s a beautiful girl like you doing in such a dark, lonely place like this on a Friday night? Hey, doll, let me take you out for some fun. You remember what fun is, don’t you? You know, FUN – you and me laughing, eating, playing with good friends.”
He stood up and began to massage her shoulders. “You have knots in your neck the size of golf balls! Good gosh, woman, you are working way too hard. Relax - you are much too young for this. No worries, right?”
Dale