Is justice a fallacy?

By Remigio Angelo Dingashe. Remigio, 27, is a domestic worker from Postmasburg, South Africa. Please read his entry and leave your comments below.

Psychologists’ belief that our perception of reality is subjective, due to the manner individuals select, organize and interpret stimuli in the environment. The same can be said about our opinion of right and wrong; this is as a result of bias, prejudice and cultural views among others, which individuals have been condition into. What is seen as justice or injustice is not fixed over time, because culture is dynamic and new generations challenge the status quo. As people we learn from observation, on this basis a trend as the capacity to spread elsewhere be it justice or injustice.

Justice is internal with an external effect. It’s the morality and righteousness within the soul that is displayed by external action of the person. The same is true for wickedness and injustice; what is inside will show outside. When a seed of wickedness germinates, in time it will produce a flower of jealousy and ambition, which are the corner stones of all injustice. The flower will bear many seeds and soon a forest of injustice shall be established. On another note the seeds of justice will bear fruits of love, peace and all forms of good judgments.

The institution of the family is critical for the moral development of young and old alike. With such a colossal of broken homes, boys who lack male role models and the absence of love within families, these circumstances create an environment where love is looked for outside the family. As a consequence delusional affection is found among gang members.  In a gang the young are open to horrific influences such as drugs, prostitution, robberies and so forth. Rebuilding of families is paramount for peace and stability, prosperous and resilient communities that strive for both social and economic justice. The foundation of such is love within the families.

Breaking the law is an injustice to society. When the law is an injustice, would disobedience to such a statue advocate justice? Ought we to debate and conclude to omit perceived injustice? In democracies the majority defines the vision, social norms and laws of countries. Does a majority have the authority to prescribe to a minority about the definition of justice? There will be a point when one must choose to follow the law or do what is just. When doing what is right will lead to great suffering and prosecution from the powers that be and by following the law guilt to the soul, one must have the wisdom to endure pain for the sack of justice.

You will know whether or not a law is just or unjust by the fruits it bears. An unjust law cannot bear fruits of peace, stability and social cohesion among a diverse people. Any law will have its effects on society and it is our responsibility to judge if these effects are positive or negative. Do these laws take us forward as a collective or are they serving the interest of elite members of our community? Today we live in a global community; the commodity prices and laws of the international communities’ affect us all therefore strong economies of the world should understand that they are not just governing their own countries, but their decisions have an effect on weaker economies.

Because of our history of violence throughout the course of various global and civil wars we are a psychological traumatized people. This had an effect on how we socialize with each other. On different media platforms daily we are reminded about the moral degeneration besieging communities; rapes, murders, corruption and new innovation of creative wickedness. We need more reports of the good acts of common people and sing the praises of those committed to justice. It is true that bad news sells newspapers, but media has a greater responsibility beyond the profit of shareholders. It has the power to shape perceptions and create a better reality.

There is not a person who want to be part of a sinking ship. Atomic war has become a great possibility. It is like we have not learn from the past, as long as one nation views itself superior than the rest than this cycle of war will bring about the end of the world. Ambition is good, but when this leads people to conquer the weak, then ambition has become a tool of wickedness, ambition has been the driving force behind the greatest of innovations and the source of discoveries. Now more than ever before, leadership is needed to guide us on the path of global peace. By having platforms like this where people from all walks of life can come together and open dialog on various topics is the leadership, I believe will contribute to this global peace mentioned above.

It is said “An eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth.” He that kills should be killed, he that steals from him ought to be taken. When you look at the world from another view point, by considering mercy and forgiveness in relation to serving justice. It is difficult to forgive someone who have caused you pain and tears; there is a proverb which states “To err is human but to for is divine.” Forgiving is a godly act and by forgiving you are merciful, by not giving punishment although the actions of the offender deserves it. Mercy and forgiveness teaches the offender that you are greater than the worse things you have done and that you can do better by changing your behavior. It is not said that the victim forget but when he/she remembers the offence it should not produce hate. This is a difficult thing to ask from any one, however it is possible to forgive.

Is it possible to be objective in a subjective society? Is there a way to attain true justice? Steve Bantu Biko said “In order to get the right answers you must ask the right questions.” Let ask continue to challenge the status quo by asking the authorities questions that evoke critical thinking from them. May we remember that nothing is as it seems. Let understand that leadership is not the office you hold but how we serve each other. The fruit of justice is peace and stability, anything that promotes the opposite is injustice. May we bear good fruits that will unite us and not divide.

3 comments on “Is justice a fallacy?

  1. Arnold on

    This was inspirational, I know Remigio personally and whenever he speaks or writes he challenge the listener or reader to think and this is what this piece of writing has done challenged me to think.

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