Justice: Punishing Wrong and Upholding Right for a Just Society - Essay Sample

Introduction

Powers and Kathleen et al. (2020) notes that it has been a challenge for people to act and behave in ways that are equal, fair, and balanced towards a fellow human being. To achieve a society that is safe wrongs should be deeded while we are determined to uphold rights. Therefore, justice entails punishing or discouraging both words and deeds that are considered wrong in society and enabling an environment that supports those things that are considered good. There are four types of justice classified as legal, commutative, social, and distributive. The legal truth entails are that the government is obliged to offer its citizens and society in general. Commutative is the type of justice that has its foundation on the principle of equality. The social justice states that every person has the right to fair say while distributive gives every individual in the society an equal share of God's creation.

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The nature of justice is consistency, trust, impartiality, and standing. It is through the principles of justice that the reliability of the unbiased decisions that are consistent can be made. These procedures ensure that even when a person was sentenced, and evidence supporting their innocence is availed, the already convicted individual is set free. Justice is generally a concept that is firmly rooted in moral rightness regarding law, religion, ethics, and fairness. Therefore, during the administration of any law, justice demands that human rights are protected, and each individual treated with equality (Gallagher 318).

The three principles of justice that this paper aims at explaining, comparing, and contrasting are equality, need, and equity. The laws have deferent degrees of influence on matters of justice. As such, they operate within specific limits to attain fairness, equality, and balance in the treatment of human beings regarding the administration of justice as outlined by Powers and Kathleen et al. (2020).

Regarding social justice, human beings are expected to observe a specific code of conduct in society. This code should align with the guidelines outlined in the human rights for there to be harmony in every level of our lives. Thanks to the various movements, different societies have the help they need to achieve the desired degree of social justice in society.

Examples of social justice are observable in various ways within the society, and the law provides a broader view of the topic. When people are treated in ways they seem unfair to them; they feel offended in the face of the daily opportunities and privileges that exist in our society. For instance, when you are qualified and able to join in an academic institution, you desire to receive the type of education that synchronize with your interest. The skills and knowledge acquired shape your career path and give you hope in the future of your financial freedom. With financial freedom comes the fulfillment to live the dream lives we all have in varying nature, and that is our definition of success. These are the paths that we must take in the course of our lives that are highly determined by the application of justice in our society. A threat to social justice will often occur when discrimination prevails in access to these rights.

Discriminations are practiced by either a group or an individual and targeted to either a group of people or an individual in the society. The perception is termed as social injustice and is based on the characteristics of the discriminated person or group of individuals in that society. Such differences exist in various forms with race, sexuality, age, gender, and religion being the multiple factors determining the kind of discrimination, or rather, injustices we expect from our societies. Therefore, our rights are the very definition of fairness and unfairness. Hence everyone is entitled to social justice.

Social justice goes hand in hand with the dignity that human beings should be accorded. When human beings are treated with dignity, they are given access to such basics provisions as the right to life, food, shelter, education, and medical care, among others. This treatment is typical of a human being, and any violation of such a procedure is a violation of human rights in society. Some people are exposed to situations that are devastating in either their places of work, homes, or in different institutions. Like it was during the slave trade, some people or groups of individuals still treat people in ways that jeopardize their dignity as human beings. It is not a surprise in the modern society that a form of media may surface online, showing a real-life scenario in the video, picture, audio, or text format that questions our dignity as human beings. We should strive at all times to work for the common good in society.

Regarding Yuen (37), working for the common good is a principle of social justice that entails all matters related to the primacy of the common good. The supremacy of the common good refers to the actions we make that are aimed at making such choices that not only serve to benefit ourselves but also other human beings within or outside our societies. An example of the violation or the breaking of the primacy of the common good is when different nations are involved in the cycle of violence that is initiated by wars. These wars, like the case of Vietnam, disrupt the initial peace that the society has and hence making it difficult for other human rights to thrive in such states. As a result, different crimes and violations follow, and their effects are difficult to control. Such impacts include mass killings, capture and torture experienced by the soldiers defending their states, and rape to both women and young girls as the most vulnerable in the society. We all need, therefore, to be responsible as our rights are reciprocal in a way to fellow human beings. Reciprocal rights and responsibilities define the entitlement of every human being to a conscious and the value of being kind. We all have individual rights, and as such, we also are obligated to observing certain obligations that demand our being responsible in society. The right to life and the entitlement to freedom must always be respected, for they define us as humans. To grant a person these fundamental rights, their right to access those things that make us human should always be given. These necessary provisions include food, shelter, and clothing, amongst other human resources. When a patient, for instance, is administered euthanasia, their reciprocal rights and responsibilities are violated as they get killed. This calls that different professionals observe dignity in their workplaces. Also, their employers should, at all times, uphold dignity in their dealing with their employees as demanded by social justice.

The dignity of work and rights of workers as a social justice insists that human beings are entitled to safe working environments. Having a safe working environment is essential for their physical health. In order to motivate their productivity and enhance their comfortability at the same time, they should be allowed some free time to reflect on their encounters during their working hours or catch up with their private or social lives. This is intervals during the working hours aimed at concentrating on the psychological break that the workers need on a daily basis. With a work break and a pleasant working environment, the workers feel comfortable in their places of work, and their employees show respect for human rights. The result is that there is fairness in such situations of practice that serve to enhance social justice to vulnerable workers.

The first option for the vulnerable and weak as a principle of social justice is crucial in the day to day operations in our institutions. When our society is guided by the inclusivity and cohesive nature aimed at reaching out to the vulnerable and weak members of the community, the society's moral values are put to the test. We are the custodians of our fellow human beings, as they are our custodians. Philanthropic acts have been ordinary in our societies showing that people are eager to help the poor and vulnerable in their neighborhood despite their financial status. Some actions of charity or gestures of love are essential in this case, and the recipients appreciate such fairness in their treatment. People in different societies have gone extra miles to prove to the poor that they care as they expand and emphasize on such individuals. To show that we value and accept this group of individuals in our midst, we are mandated to provide such provisions as food, shelter, and healthcare to prevent such occurrences as neglected street families experiencing avoidable deaths. Through such an act, social justice would be the key to all forms of justice in our society, especially now that the globe is increasingly becoming social.

There exists an incompatibility between social justice and the rule of law. This is unexpected in most societies, but generally, the demands of social justice are difficult to embody in either fair or general law. The importance of social justice in any given society are unreplaceable regarding the welfare of such communities. Through social justice, individuals have the privilege to enjoy the satisfaction that comes along with the pleasure of life. Since our leaders give these pleasures an enabling environment, it follows that those under such leadership treat their leaders with respect and loyalty. Consequently, the poor leadership traits in some of our elected leaders may lead to their unjust treatment of their subjects. The impact of such actions is that people become rebellious, and they get determined to make such leaders pay the price of their injustices (Shaw et al. 2019).

Conclusion

In conclusion, social injustice is the guidelines through which human beings thrive in their day-to-day lives. We can promote peace and harmony within any society when we promote social justice. Promoting social justice entails educating ourselves on the various movements in the community, and working on customizing our beliefs and habits to align social justice with fairness in our interactions. We should conduct research and always stay updated on the local presence to avoid offensive comments, or being unaware of social injustices around us. Taking action in one's community after identifying any form of social injustices is not a threat to the authority; instead, it is our responsibility as our brother's keeper to call for attention against injustices and unfairness. The use of social media should always aim at enhancing social justice by all costs, but never to promote unfair treatment or propaganda aimed at suppressing the truth. In case we are willing and able to offer our skills and time in support of social justice, volunteering should be encouraged in all its forms. Through defining and upholding social justice, we can set and promote fairness in society and the world in general through our actions towards others (Lynch and Elizabeth 2017).

Works Cited

Gallagher, Anne, and Paul Holmes. "Developing an effective criminal justice response to human trafficking: Lessons from the front line." International criminal justice review 18.3 (2008): 318-343.

Lynch, Elizabeth. The new social imaginary vs. the education activist: social media as a conduit for protest and resistance. Hofstra University, 2017.

Powers, Kathleen E., et al. "What's Fair in International Politics? Equity, Equality, and Foreign Policy Attitudes." (2020).

Shaw, Hillary J., and Julia JA Shaw. Corporate Social Responsibility, Social Justice, and the Global Food Supply Chain: Towards an Ethical Food Policy for Sustainable Supermarkets. Routledge, 2019.

Yuen, Mary Mee-Yin. "Justice and Human Dignity in Catholic Social Teaching." Solidarity and Reciprocity with Migrants in Asia. Palgrave Macmill...