maintenance & repair: two peas in a pod

When we hear the word repair, we usually associate it with broken objects not broken people. In Spelman’s Repair, she introduces a new perspective. Spelman states that “Human beings suffer wear and tear; like cars humans need not just maintenance but repair if they are to keep on functioning.” She compares human beings to cars, saying that they need not only maintenance but repair if they are to keep working. At first I didn’t understand the comparison but the more I thought about it the clearer it became. The human body, like a car, is a complex structure. It has smaller parts that work together so that the body can function normally. When something goes wrong with one part it impedes regular function; this is where repair comes in.

What distinguishes the human body from a car is its ability to repair itself to a certain extent. Spelman mentioned that maintenance is necessary for the body to be able to repair itself. Without proper maintenance (feeding and watering) the body will fail to fix itself. 

As a young girl growing up, I lived with my grandparents and the one thing I noticed about them is the way they took care of themselves. Every night they went to bed at 9 pm and woke up at 6. They ate breakfast, lunch and dinner, all of which were healthy home cooked meals. They also avoided eating past a certain time in the evening. During the day they would go for walks to keep themselves active. One night my grandmother suffered a stroke. The entire left side of her body lost feeling and she couldn’t walk or move her hands and her speech was slurred. She went through physical therapy and within a few months it was almost as if it never happened. This goes to show that both repair and maintenance go hand-in-hand. If she hadn’t taken care of herself the way she did she probably wouldn’t have recovered so well or it would’ve taken much longer.  

Not every repair that takes places is noticeable. The ones we can see are referred to as “visible” repair and the ones we can’t as “invisible”. An example of visible repair would be “the healing of a cut,” and “the capacity of the human heart to repair itself” would be an invisible form of repair. Repair is not only physical but also emotional. Sometimes in life we experience things that may not have caused us physical harm, but destroyed our positive mental state. Many times we see soldiers come back from war not with missing limbs or a gunshot wound, but with PTSD. Even if they did obtain some kind of physical damage, it is way easier to repair. Mental repair may take longer than physical repair, because wounds heal but memories stick with us.

Restorative over Retributive

In chapter 4 of Spelman’s Repair she goes in detail about the differences between Restorative and Retributive justice. She explains the resolve each approach takes, their pros and cons and which one would be the most impactful in today’s society.

Retributive justice focuses on just the offender and his/her wrongdoings rather than all the parties involved while Restorative justice isn’t only about fixing the flaws and making up for the imperfections in the existing legal institutions; it’s about putting the repair of the victims, offenders and the communities of which they are apart at the center of justice.

I believe restorative justice is the way to go when it comes to creating a positive environment. We have gotten so complacent with and accustomed to the arts and sciences of retribution that we fail to realize the change and difference a restorative justice system could bring to our diseased society. Ever too often criminals are just thrown in jail and the questions of the people affected go unanswered and their feelings disregarded. The restorative approach forces the offenders to come face to face with the crime(s) they have committed and provide some form of closure for the victims involved. Rather than having victims at the peripheral of the process restorative justice puts them at the center of it. It gets all the parties to come together including the communities affected by the tragedies. I believe that communication and interaction can go a long way. By isolating the offenders they never get the chance to look into the eyes of the damage they have done, that way they never get the chance to be remorseful. They will never understand the pain their actions cause and if they are unable to see the harm then more than likely they will commit a crime again.

I’ve recently read an article about a young man by the name of Conor McBride who shot his girlfriend Ann Grosmaire who died days later in the hospital. Ann’s parents agreed to the process of restorative justice after it was recommended to them by a member of their church. They visited Conor once a month in jail and they even asked the judge to be a bit lenient with the sentence. The Grosmaires said this process gave them an uplifting of joy and peace. They were able to forgive him. “The forgiveness frees us” they said, “It keeps us from going to prison with Conor.” They described the process as “helpful for their feelings.” It also helped Conor come to terms with his actions. At one of the visits he cried and told them how sorry he was for what he had done. Sometimes a simple apology is all it takes to make a difference. The Grosmaires don’t have to walk around with bitterness and hatred in their heart and Conor can live at peace knowing he’s been forgiven.

Repair is at the heart of Justice. There can be no true justice if what was broken isn’t fixed and restorative justice allows healing.

Response #1

When we hear the word repair, we usually associate it with broken objects not broken people. In Spelman’s Repair, she introduces a new perspective. Spelman states that “Human beings suffer wear and tear; like cars humans need not just maintenance but repair if they are to keep on functioning.” She compares human beings to cars, saying that they need not only maintenance but repair if they are to keep working. At first I didn’t understand the comparison but the more I thought about it the clearer it became. The human body, like a car, is a complex structure. It has smaller parts that work together so that the body can function normally. When something goes wrong with one part it impedes regular function; this is where repair comes in.

What distinguishes the human body from a car is its ability to repair itself to a certain extent. Spelman  mentioned that maintenance is necessary for the body to be able to repair itself. Without proper maintenance (feeding and watering) the body will fail to fix itself.  So both repair and maintenance go hand-in-hand.

Not every repair that takes places is noticeable. The ones we can see are referred to as “visible” repair and the ones we can’t as “invisible”. An example of visible repair would be “the healing of a cut,” and “the capacity of the human heart to repair itself” would be an invisible form of repair. Repair is not only physical but also emotional. Sometimes in life we experience things that may not have caused us physical harm, but destroyed our positive mental state. Mental repair may take longer than physical repair,because wounds heal but memories stick with us.