An Egalitarian Society and Our Stand

By Ratnarghya Chakraborty. Ratnarghya, 28, is an engineer from Kolkata, India. Please read his entry and leave your thoughts below.

When Charles Darwin published ‘Survival of the fittest’, a breakthrough in theory of evolution, he perhaps assumed that the race will be in same manner for every animal. And thus he deliberately did not mention the use of ‘fair means’ in case of human. This virtue of fairness and righteousness can be called justice. Greek philosopher Plato used the term ‘Dikaisyne’ for justice, which comes very near to the word ‘morality’. The word ‘justice’ originates from Latin word ‘justus’ which means a man of true, honest heart; he is God’s favorite one. American philosopher John Rawls has described it as ‘the first virtue of social institutions’. Every blow to this probity shivers the humanity, challenges the steel-frame of principles, every war of imperial aggression, every depravity of basic needs, every incidence of helplessness gnaws the ivory tower of uprightness, bloodsheds mankind. This is at every nook and corner of earth. This is the dark side of Man. This is injustice.

The ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ was the reflection of the wretched condition of the African-American communities who were tormented, humiliated from outside and their souls were mutilated from inside. They were the prey of the injustice called racism. One could either have turned his eyes from the situation or have launched a direct action. Martin Luther King Jr chose the second one. Birmingham’s condition was bitter. His letter came as a clarion call to fight, to turn back, to march for rights.

Justice is integrity, justice is fraternity, it is the tie of brotherhood, guardian knot of unity. It ensures equality. It bridges the gaps in society, eradicates the depravity. Injustice is a gangrene which if not operated early can turn into cancer. It engulfs the whole body. King truly said that we all are “tied in a single garment of destiny”. Thus he boasted of liberty, equality, solidarity, kinship and togetherness to defend justice from the threat of injustice.

It was the Second World War. Hitler and his Nazi force were on the verge of usurping the whole world. India was struggling for independence from the British Raj. It was a golden opportunity for India to uproot the British rule. But the then undisputed leader of India Mahatma Gandhi urged Indians to join British Army. He was criticized severely for his decision. But Gandhi foresaw the consequences of Nazi conquest. His action was for the sake of greater mankind, for the long term benefit of the world. He was determined to save the world from injustice. King was influenced by Gandhi’s ideals.

Greatest rulers and leaders of all times have always marked their era by their principles, universal brotherhood, tolerance, freedom of speech and thought. Akbar The Great, a great administrator, abolished the religious taxes, banned slavery of prisoners, religious conversion and established a magnificent administration of mosaic culture inviting people from every walk of life, different religion and caste. Napoleon Bonaparte’s contributions are still lasting. The Napoleonic Code is the basis of modern day Europe’s legal code. He abolished slavery, allowed religious freedom, stopped discrimination against Jews, and promoted education for girls and general public. Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest Presidents of the USA, emancipated slaves, allowed land for poor people; his leadership

during Civil War made possible for the USA to remain as an undivided nation. Malala Yousafazai, the youngest noble laureate, was shot in the head for her fight for women education. But she lived and continued her journey with whole world beside her.

All these leaders tried their best for solidarity, unity and fraternity. Their views can be stated in the same way as the great leader of South Africa – Nelson Mandela said “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

Mother earth has been passing through various examinations since last century. The toughest among these are climate change, war, poverty, food scarcity, malnutrition and lack of education. On December, 2015 “Paris Climate Agreement” was signed, on which a total of 195 countries took the pledge to save mother earth by fixing their objectives together. “This agreement represents the best chance we’ve had to save the one planet we’ve got.” US President Barack Obama said. Perhaps that describes the need of the situation best.

Poverty is another malign engulfing a number of nations. In ‘The Future We Want’, the outcome document of Rio+20, 192 Member States emphasized poverty eradication with country specific solutions. They highlighted on collaboration of national and international efforts. For the improvement of general health WHO launched ‘Global Health Promotion’. The International Code of Marketing Breast-Milk Substitutes, ‘Healthy Cities’ program, Global Strategy on Diet and Nutrition-all these were successful endeavors despite several hurdles. Wars for vested interests of few groups indulge the sufferings of common man. UNESCO is constantly putting efforts to bring stability to the conflict prone zones. Thus international bodies bring together the nations to help each other. They are trying to facilitate justice to mother earth. A number of nations are there without a moral code. Extremists are mushrooming in several countries. Their false religious propaganda is poisoning the hearts of the youth. They have established their own ominous code of conduct. People in these areas are suffering a lot. They can’t fetch proper resources for development be it education or be it culture. Superpowers must act to ensure justice. “Justice delayed is justice denied” -the proud democracies where already a proper judiciary system is functioning, the general populace faces procrastination. This is another kind of injustice. It is a shame to the democracies. To reduce this delay in delivering justice nations must put effort by engaging experts. We have to end it.

Lord Krishna told Arjun that whenever there is decline of ‘dharma’ or justice and exaltation of ‘adharma’ or injustice, He appears in mortal form to protect the good and to destroy the evil. In ages leaders appear to fight injustice, to bind people together. Poverty may be in Africa, but an Asian heart should empathize it. War may be in Middle East, but West will have to step in. The decriminalization of homosexuality by the apex court of the largest democracy shows how society can journey towards less discrimination. Warren Buffet said “If you’re in the luckiest one percent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 percent.” Justice comes through sustainable inclusive development. If we serve the poor with a little of our excess wealth, if we provide a plate of food to a

hungry, if we impart a little education to the underprivileged, if we create jobs for few, if we spread a little love, a better universe is not too far.

56 comments on “An Egalitarian Society and Our Stand

  1. Arindam Paul on

    Once I read that one person can write 1 line after reading 100 lines. This essay writer must have read 1 google lines. It was not only about providing information about great personnels, who tried to uplift human civilisation towards Utopia, but also urged us to follow their footsteps so that they can live for eternity neither in the portraits hanging on our drawing rooms nor in discussions over cups of ‘Chateau Lafite’ but in our Karma. This is a great essay and hats off to you bro.

    Reply
  2. Aritro on

    Well researched, This article shows the writer’s view on Equality and with certain examples from history and mythology supports the doctrine that everyone is equal and deserves equal right.
    But equality needs to be inculcated in the society , and efforts to be taken by individuals.

    Reply
  3. Sandeep Majumder on

    Well, this article is not mere conjugated lines but a coherent and logical one. Often we hear from others that society is not egalitarian and unlikely to be. But the writer with his undeniable logic slowly established that nature is slowly converging to become an egalitarian one, and most importantly how. And then we found the correct answer, i.e. what should be our stand.

    Thanks a ton to the writer for providing me new insights and perspective.

    Reply
    • Ratnarghya on

      The topic was “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. I tried to give the readers a piece of my mind.

      Reply
  4. Uttiya Koley on

    Well researched piece, this shows the writer’s depth of field. Kudos to You.
    As aptly said by you, Justice should prevail in every walk of life. Injustice is peril to mankind. As a humanity, we should strive to give our utmost endeavor to inculcate an atmosphere of Justice,peace and equality. We should abolish the orthodox beliefs,maxims which are like disease to our society. For that every human being should come forward to lend a hand to elevate our society.

    Reply
  5. Pabitra kr. Mandal on

    I never read an article like this before. I found a total new concept after reading such an article. I also read an airticle written by the great writer RATNARGHYA that was mind-blowing too.Now a days a writer like him is very few. Everyone should read this airticle atleast one time.

    I request him to write many more researched airticles for us.

    Reply
  6. Paritosh on

    Justice should be beyond the borders. This article highlights various facets of justice and its denial and focuses on the remedies.Its a great piece of work on a vital contemporary issue

    Reply
  7. Abhijit Chakraborty on

    A very crisp writing that I felt has been written with deep passion for the improvement of human race . I doubt if there is any better way of analysing and expressing the subject. Hats off to the writer.

    Reply
  8. Bhaskar Chakraborty on

    The title “……our stand” and the contents has become a great puzzle to me. More than one topics are found brought in the compilation, without keeping any track to ” our stand”. Secondly, it seems not very transparent what exactly author desires to signify by “our”. If anyone clarifies this, I would be grateful.

    Reply
    • Ratnarghya on

      Actually the topic was “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. Thanks for pointing out the opaqueness of the title. I should have chosen a more suitable one

      Reply
  9. Manidipa on

    An excellent piece of writing….what mesmerises me is the writer’s research on the topic….the way he has used examples ranging from mythology to science is really superb….it is enlightening to the readers as well….kudos to him….wishing him all the success for this article!

    Reply
  10. Debarpan Saha on

    With so many beautifully stated actions and statements of Great leaders, the writer draws a clear picture in understanding the importance of justice for a sustainable and happy society and also inspires the readers to take their individual actions to achieve the same. I appreciate the writer for doing his research and making an effort to present such a nice article to us.

    Reply
  11. Jagannath Chakrabortty on

    Author draws attention to live peacefully and maintain harmony in all sections of people in the society.The rights of all concerned individuals and justice to everyone has been explained beautifully.This will enlighten all the readers and wish all the achievement and success of this article.I would request the author to continue writing such type of articles in future for well being of the society as well as the individuals.

    Reply
  12. Riju on

    Undoubtedly a rather well researched and extremely well arranged piece.
    Uplifting the morals of our generation of youths and making us think about our contribution to the society!
    This essay has a brilliant clarity which unfortunately is rare in real life situations.
    Most of the days I feel strangled in the vast grey zone that lies between justice and injustice…. between the personal interests and the greater good.
    Examples from history work fine because history invariably teaches and focuses on the experiments that went well. It doesn’t tell about the failed attempts at correcting the imbalance. That’s why Gandhi is the Father of the Nation and not a certain Bose.
    So though the essay talks about how justice was meted out in history against all odds and how injustice had been curbed globally with great vigour, what I felt after the 2andahalf minute of read is that justice is a far fetched term which is easy to define and understand but extremely difficult to practice in this convoluted and structure d society that we are a part of!

    Reply
  13. Saumen Chattopadhyay on

    Very nice and quite inspiring. I’d like to read more articles like this, please keep writing and acknowledge me. Katoom.

    Reply
  14. Tapan Bhattacharya on

    I just astounded what a lovely research peace it is.
    I must bow down myself before his intensive work on the subject,his passionate urge to establish justice in everywhere in our society.
    Thanks a lot.

    Reply
  15. Tapan Bhattacharya on

    I just astounded what a lovely research peace it is.
    I must bow down myself before his intensive work on the subject,his passionate urge to establish justice in everywhere in our society.

    Reply
  16. Soumya Kanti Mondal on

    A very thoughtful, well analysed and informative writing from the young author. Kudos to the author for putting together different perspectives across times yet binding them together to a common tone. It inspires us to make our small yet definitive contribution to usher in justice in the form of peace and equality in modern society.

    Reply
  17. Kinshuk Ray on

    Well, this article is not mere conjugated lines but a coherent and logical one. Kudos to the author for putting together different perspectives across times yet binding them together to a common tone. thanks a lot…awaiting for more..

    Reply
  18. Kinshuk Ray on

    Its a real picture in true sense..Well, this article is not mere conjugated lines but a coherent and logical one. Kudos to the author for putting together different perspectives across times yet binding them together to a common tone. thanks a lot…awaiting for more..

    Reply
  19. Smita Deb on

    An excellent article covering all the aspects of Justice ,how we differ from it and how we can stop that deviation. The author shows a clear path forward to spread justice beyond the borders.

    Reply
  20. Kuntal on

    An excellent article with detailed analysis of loopholes of the system and clear path forward for the society of becoming an egalitarian one. A masterpiece.

    Reply
  21. Nilanjan Daripa on

    Brillian! This is the magic-syrup our society needs the most right now. Thank you for presenting an extra-ordinary effort for the betterment of mankind.

    Reply
  22. Angshu Chakraborty on

    The undultaed diarchy between justice and injustcice catapaults a brooming cosmopolitan paraphernalia of hetero crossglobal politics that may engulf one day our civilisation totally in its extreme mode. Here the essayist has concurrently broken through the concepts of unification so becoming volatile and coercive in their natural constitutions. His views are straightforward and factual in their core. I urge him heartily to carry forward in this way his mighty prospects and analysis of our society and its various tandems.

    Reply
  23. Mirjam Maclean on

    I appreciate all the quotes that pull all the ideas together. I would have also liked to see a personal idea in there.
    Personally I have some problems with the idea that justice and injustice are supposed to be as simple as that. We’d have peace and bliss by now, if it were. Nobody wants injustice, but we cause it to each other, because we are different. And exactly because that difference is so important, can I appreciate your essay without agreeing with what you say.

    Reply

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