Recently I was called for jury duty. At first I thought of it as a mild annoyance, and held out hope that I wouldn’t have to go (in Philadelphia you call in to an automated number the night before and it tells you if you have to report or not. The last two times I have been called I have been excused at the last minute). This time, no such luck.
Not only did I have to go, was called on a panel, but left that day chosen as a juror in a trial. The trial lasted almost three days. On the fourth day of the trial (fifth of jury service) we began deliberations, reached a verdict and it was over. In the space of those five days my outlook was changed.
What I learned in Jury Duty:
- I was reminded that people of all walks of life are more alike than not. Online posts, general media coverage and our own viewpoints tend to reinforce that this is not so, but I interacted with so many different kinds of people in that week, and every one was kind, sensible and showed a strong level of humanity. And yet the way our society is set up, I would not have encountered most of them without this opportunity.
- The criminal justice system can work, despite the fact that we all come preloaded with bias. The 12 members of the jury I was on had different points of view, and I’m sure we had different expectations at the start of the trial. And yet we all listened carefully to the evidence (and several members of the jury took extensive notes) and we all made it clear we took the case, the law and the judges instructions very seriously. If I or someone close to me were accused of a crime (or the victim of a crime), that is what I would hope the jury would do.
- I can override my personal bias if I focus on being fair and open-minded. We have have preferences, preconceived beliefs about people and places, but if we center ourselves and concentrate on the humanity of any given situation, we can rise above our own limitations. For me that is the whole point of focusing on the spiritual dimension of life.
- Being a citizen demands that we be there for one another, and that is what jury duty is all about. Circumstances of life could find any one of us having to be a part of a court case or other trial in life. If we really believe in the values our nation stands for, then our biggest responsibility is to be there for one another as human beings.