What is Justice?--Jaylin

 

Justice is like the water that flows from a rocky stream to the sea. The water that gives others life, redemption, and rebirth. This liquid justice is fragmented and needs all the pieces to get the whole ocean. However, what is justice? Justice is subjective, a rare word that can be defined in many different ways. By definition, justice can be defined as “moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity”. Justice can also be defined as “the administering of deserved punishment or reward”. However, these definitions are subjective and can differ from person to person. The principles of justice strive on the idea of being fair, but the state of fairness is an opinion that is justified through our own mindsets. Is it fair to take matters into one's own hands and seek self justice? Is it fair for someone to endure a lifetime's worth of trauma, but the assailant only gets a few months in prison? Does fairness lie within the law or personal agenda? It is a broad term when you really think about it that does not have one true answer, but yet as a society, we rely so much of our own ideals. Morals, laws, equality all being deemed on the principal of being fair or just in reason.

Since the meaning of justice varies, the question of when does justice turn to vigilantism? When does justice cross the border line of revenge? Francis Bacon once described revenge as “a wild justice”. Although, what is the subject that makes revenge seem horrific or dark and justice seems like the light? Is it vengeful for the victim to want their attacker to get what they deserve or is it justice? Where does the illuminating righteousness of justice end and the quiet sinful night of revenge take over? In my opinion the answer lies within the acts that came afterward, were they evil, peaceful, lawful? To me, revenge is self justice where the person seeks to cause an equal sense of pain to the one who hurt them through evil acts. Fighting evil

with evil only creates more malicious space in this world and does not solve anything. Although some may believe that fighting back with the same energy is a form of justice, it is not due to its purely selfish reasons. The act of selfishness is the subject that divides these two. Justice should be the betterment of everyone not just oneself. Aristotle said it best "equals should be treated equally and unequals unequally." By this he meant that people should be treated equally and the differences that set them apart should not be factored into the equation. For instance if two people are doing the same exact job, then both of them should be paid the same amount, that is the fair thing to do. The unjust thing would be to pay the workers two unequal amounts because of the color of their skin, gender, and or religion. This does not fit the idea of justice as it favors a certain group. With all this information in mind, I define justice as a fairness in which the “fairness” are actions that are equal and non discriminatory. Where similar problems have a consistent punishment and do not difentainte for any reason. Where egocentric desires are restrained and the betterment of the people are put forward.

Citations: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/justice

https://www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/ethical-decision-making/justice-and-fairness/

https://academichelp.net/samples/academics/essays/definition/justice.html#:~:text=Justice%20 in%20its%20legal%20and,this%20ideal%20and%20state%20laws.&text=As%20you%20can %20see%2C%20justice%20is%20multifaceted​.