Revolving a life around justice requires a basic understanding of what justice is. Based on the laws and customs set forth by our society, an injustice occurs when someone denies an individual or group the punishment or reward they deserve based on their actions. Justice requires creating a life not only in balance, but one maintaining fairness, equality, and knowledge.
Seeking Knowledge
In other to seek justice, one must be first be deeply educated in the tenements that are the building blocks of our justice system. Subsequently, I spent a great amount of time Monday reading the Constitution, the Kentucky-Virginia Resolves, the Articles of Confederation, and the Declaration of Independence. I have memorized all 27 amendments since then, and can cite them whenever needed. Gaining this knowledge will allow me to better spread the ideas of justice and liberty to those surrounding me.
Furthermore, understanding our justice system requires understanding the role of the Supreme Court in carrying out the “final say” in key constitutional questions. That is why I spent a great amount of time on Tuesday studying landmark Supreme Court cases, to see what things truly affect my life and the lives of the people around me the most. There are some cases I of course cannot agree with…. namely being Plessy vs. Ferguson (overturned), Dred Scott vs. Sanford, and Roe vs. Wade.
At the same time, understanding knowledge requires the ability to look up multiple news sources. Instead of strictly relying on Dailypaul.com I have turned to alternative sources such as NPR, CBSnews, CNN, and Foxnews this week (in addition to various conservative/liberal blogs). In doing so I have examined things from multiple angles. Seeing both perspectives allows me to broaden my understanding of the world in which I live.
At exactly the same time, I needed to do more than simply understand the tenements of justice. I needed to apply it to the world in which I lived..
Application of Justice
I thus, attempted to pursue said implementation in many ways. I have to admit this week was a particular challenge because of the concept of justice is harder to carry out on a day-to-day basis.
1) Justice in our Communications: We do a great deal of injustice to others when we exercise false statements, spread gossip, or are insincere with others. I admit I too have been prone to said mistakes in the past. Based on some data told to me while shopping Saturday I may have unfairly judged some people, based on what I assumed to be their perception of me. Regardless of the case, I hope to correct said wrongs by refraining from speaking ill of them in the future. Similar to the plight of the Wicked witch in wicked, people too often misjudge people based on conceptions rather than their actions and inspirations.
2) Justice in the Workplace: I have to admit I tried my best to maintain a high degree of fairness in the way I conducted myself to my students this week. Just because students have failed a history class prior to entering an after school class shouldn’t mean I think lower of their intelligence levels. If anything I should seek what the problem is in either their understanding of the material or their lack of motivation in doing the work and hope to rectify the problems stemming from it. At the same time, when a girl randomly walks into a study room and starts bashing a cheerleader to her face, I have no choice but to exercise justice and tell her to knock it off and to stop instigating problems.
3) Justice with the World: I will always try to change the world as best as I can. I simply try to refrain from ever spending too much mostly out of guilt – that there are people in the world much worse off than me (and material possessions are truly not an adequate way to measure happiness). I’m involved in clubs like Circle K mostly because I want to make a difference in my community, going so far as to help scrapbook, as well as wake up at 4:30AM for a service project.
4) Justice & Politics: We need to refrain from personal bias. Although fairness is not equivalent to justice, fairness is a central tenant of it. Without fairness we cannot have a good justice system. Without impartiality we will have corruption in politics. That’s why I truly voted based on speeches and Q&A during my first observation of Circle K elections this Thursday. At the same time, I see a moral responsibility in educating the world at large. If we know something bad is going to happen, it should be within our power to stop it. If we know the consequences of somebody else’s actions can have a negative impact on the world around it, it is our responsibility and our duty to stop it. As much as people question the negative ramifications of the federal government, I have been working hard campaigning for Ron Paul because I believe there is a responsibility on my part to try to inform people of what is happening. And thus that is why I asked three people this week to take some time out of their lives to read some of my books on economic and social liberty. Being active in politics doesn’t simply meaning believing in something, but rather spreading it to others so that they can broaden their perspective of the world.
In the end I hope teaching can do that for me. I hope teaching will create a world where I can impact my students, expose them to new levels of knowledge, and prepare them for the future injustices of the world they will encounter everyday (and how they can combat that). I will not try to brainwash them politically but rather expose them to ways in which they can change the world and their situations.
The End Result: Simply put, I give myself a B for the week. I have educated myself on justice, I have helped to spread the concepts of justice, but because justice is such a specific moral trait, I was unable to find a great deal of ways to exercise it effectively in the everyday world. I will continue to be actively engaged in politics and teaching, and hope to carry my working knowledge of what I believe justice and fairness is to the rest of society.
Next Week: Moderation. Avoid Extremes. Forbear resenting Injuries so much as you think they deserve.
