Periagoge
Concept
1 min read

Justice as Personal and Structural

Understanding recovery as both personal accountability and recognition of systemic injustices that enable and entrap addiction.

Juana
Why It Matters

Sor Juana wrote about justice in both intimate and institutional registers—personal betrayal and structural violence. Her framework refuses false choice between individual responsibility and systemic critique. For recovering people, this dual vision is liberating and grounding. Yes, taking personal accountability for one's choices matters: the conversations you avoided, the people you hurt, the promises you broke. This accountability is essential to genuine recovery. Simultaneously, honesty requires acknowledging how addiction exploited existing vulnerabilities: trauma, poverty, marginalization, grief, unmet needs that society failed to address. You are responsible for your recovery while also not solely responsible for your addiction. This nuance prevents two equal dangers: the shame that says "it's all my fault, I'm irredeemable" and the blame that says "nothing is my responsibility, I'm just a victim." Justice in recovery means doing your work while also naming what harmed you, attending to both personal integrity and systemic truth.

Helpful guides
Juana
Identity & Justice
Peri
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