Michael McClung

McClung 1
English 111-72
Ms. Boyd
22 September 2015

Justice Essay

Suffering, death and war are the results of a society that lacks true
justice. Justice is defined by Dictionary.com as the quality of being just;
righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness. Justice is the idea that
regardless of ones differences, one should be afforded the same
equal and fair treatment as the rest. The idea of justice is at the core of
ones moral fiber. Justice is the very foundation of societies laws and
punishments. Although, peoples idea of justice can be very different from
one another.
The idea of equal and fair treatment is a basic need that is established
from the earliest years of childhood. If there were two young children in a
room, and one of the children was given a cookie and the other child was
not, the child without the cookie would instantly be concerned that they did
not receive what the other person had received. On the other hand, the child
who received the cookie, will sometimes feel that the child without a cookie
deserves part of a cookie and will then share with the other child. The idea
that treatment should be fair and equal to others seems to be a natural idea
that develops early in life.

Unfortunately, justice is not a clearly defined thing in throughout the

world. What may seem just to one may not seem just to another. A persons
upbringing and culture can have adverse effects on what they believe justice
is. For example, in some parts of the world they believe stoning someone to
death is justice for baring a child out of wedlock. Here in America,
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some believe it is just to take the life of a person who has taken the life
of another. The definition of the word justice seems clear but it really
depends on the moral upbringing of a person.
This basic need for equal and fair treatment is the foundation of
todays laws and punishments. Since ideas of justice can vary widely from
person to person, laws and punishments had to be created so that a feeling
of justice could be established. Without pre-established determinations of
just treatment, there would be no defined justice. For justice to truly exist,
there has to be an agreement between all of what is just and fair treatment.
Justice cannot exist if the minority is allowed to define what is just and fair
for all.
Justice is part of the foundation of society. If a society loses the system
of justice it has, then that society tends to break down. Take Somalia for
example, the Somalian government broke down and with it the justice
system. Now Somalia is a fractured country with war lords and pirates freely

conducting criminal and murderous activity throughout the country. We can

also look to other countries such as countries in the Middle East to see what
happens when a societys justice system fails or fails to be just.
Suffering, death and war are the results of a society that lacks true
justice. Justice is the idea that regardless of ones differences, one
should be afforded the same equal and fair treatment as the rest.
For justice to exist, a common idea of fair and equal treatment must be
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agreed upon be the majority. If a minority is allowed to determine what
treatment is fair and just, then true justice does not exist in that community.