> Anecdote time. A young man appears in court over a traffic violation. The judge happens to be the young man's father. It is clear the young man is guilty, and the father is torn between divergent desires -- he must be just, and therefore demand the fines that are called for. But he also wants to be loving and merciful toward his son. What does he do? As judge, he passes sentence -- the fine must be paid. As father, he sheds his robes, steps down from the bench, and pays the fine from his own pocket. The son had the option, of course, of refusing the gift given by his father, but if he did that, he would have to pay the fine himself.
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Why does being loving require mercy? He is doing a disservice not only to his son, for he is denying his son the chance to learn and grow, but also to those who his son will hurt again by violating again because he has not learned. He is telling his son that he is not capable as an individual of being anything but small, which is terrible for his son's self-esteem, and will most likely breed an unhappy person who feels totally out of control of himself and his life. He will continue to harm himself and others through traffic negligence and disobedience because he has never learn to properly take responsability for his actions.

Regards,
Tyler