Justice And Fairness

What is justice?

Justice is the quality of being just and fair, a conformity in moral rightness in attitude or action, righteousness. The upholding of what is just, in fair treatment and due reward in accordance with standard and honour and of being ethical.

Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on equity, law, religion, ethics and rationality. The most contemporary theories of justice advocated that justice is overwhelmingly important. Yet subversion of justice in countries, societies, organisations have been prevalent in human history. Justice could also mean punishment for crime and wrong doing which regulates response to crime proven with evidence and subjected by law. I do like our our system of reformative training in our prisons to return offenders to society a better person. What about the justice of allocation of respect, reward, power and wealth?

But justice can differ in history, culture and the person who administer it. Socrates used the parable of the chariots to illustrate that the chariots work as the horses' power are directed by the one who rode it. Philosophers should rule because they know what is good. We should always also entrust your country and organisation to someone who is very good in the subject of "good". A similar parable by Socrates spoke of an unjust city or place being like a ship in the open sea crewed by powerful but drunken captain and crew and a group of untrustworthy advisers who manipulate the captain into giving them power over the ship's course and journey. This means that Socrates believed that the only way the ship will get to its right destination is when the navigator took charge and do the "good" thing.

Justice is also a divine order in terms of morality. Question is that is something right because God commands it or does God commands it because it is right? Can morality and justice be higher than God? It is the nature of God? If immoral people are quite happy for now do not be. Nor should the down-trodden be sad for if God is justice then God will administer justice at the right time, in His time and not ours. Justice is not just about application, it is as much in not doing or applying justice where one is needed. Plato suggested that justice can be used to serve the interest of the strong and used merely as a name or trickery for the powerful to imposed on the weak and the people. Justice should therefore, be about equality and an absolute absence of bias and prejudice. Justice must preserve the best outcomes and consequences and not a retaliation on those who hurt us.

Egalitarians believed that justice and freedom without equality make a hollow sound. Such as when people talk of equal opportunity it is about equality. Does justice mean that people should get what they deserve? Like they used to say "getting your just desserts". Meritocratic theories accord individual merit tied to your talent and hard work. If you are brilliant and hard working, you get rewarded more than someone who is lazy but this is not always the case as you must have heard often enough that it is not how good you are or what you know but really who you know in the real or unreal world. Therein lies the problem.

What Is Fairness?

Fairness is man's ability to rise above his prejudices. - Wes Fessler

It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself. - Eleanor Roosevelt

The future that we hold in trust for our own children will be shaped by our fairness to other people's children. - Marian Wright Edelman

Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you. - H. Jackson Brown Jr.

The hand that hath made you fair hath made you good. - William Shakespeare

Have you ever broken some rules yourself? Of being unfair even though it is innate in us to want to see fair play in all areas of life such as when you watch a movie, read a book, hear a story or enjoying live soccer where unfairness and injustice are prevalent? A good way to realise it is to watch wrestling on TV where you will get a good dose of unfairness and injustice.

Have you been fair to your children or do you treat them according to their perceived potential in future or what kind of pocket money they can spare you? Fairness is unfortunately something that can be relative and very often you can't see it yourself when you have been unfair and made worse as every one's thinking of fairness is different.

There cannot be fairness when you do not apply your thoughts, words and actions with principled or shared rules on a level playing field. That is when one applies double standards - shifting the goal posts further or nearer, wider or smaller. In the Kingdom of  Injustice and Unfairness, Double-Standard is the King that rules.

Would your heart be happy if you have or have not something but the other persons  have it or have them more? The Bible says "Do unto others as you would have others do to you" so simple and profound but yet how often do you see it in practice? This is sacrosanct and is commonly referred to as the Golden Rule. Avoid double standards, apply the same set of rules to yourself and to others. Never do anything to anyone what you would not like others do to you but often when you are in a more powerful position you do not care. People get into trouble because they think they can get away with it.

In every action there will always be a reaction as the law of physics taught us, an equal and opposite reaction. It is therefore, very important to be fair. You ought to feel rankled whenever you did something unfair so that it becomes a positive way of life to do the right thing. Regular reflection will make youmore sensitive to it. If you have been unfair and bias on a regular basis, there will come a time where you start to believe your own lies as everything can be justified. What happens when at the receiving end that you do not get fairly treated? Some folks may think of revenge, getting back, getting what you think is owed to you, you may even want retribution. Be very careful here as revenge is something borne of hatred such that your perception of fairness becomes twisted and can get even more bizarre as you seek to hurt others. Retribution is not yours to create nor revenge yours to seek. Can you handle this? 

Justice and fairness is not just about doing the right things fairly. What about things you are supposed to do but did not do so or by withholding information, rewards or by favouring another person, business, etc. other than for the right objectives. It boils down to honesty and integrity. In their absence, where is fairness and justice? Being born in a wrong country or family is also not fair. How about inherent birth defects? In life, there are unfairness and injustice everywhere. Get used to it and get on with life.

Buddhists believe in Karma. It is also stated in the Holy Bible that you reap what you sow. Regardless of whether it is the teaching of all great religions, some folks just called it the law of the universe. I would like to open a restaurant and maybe call it the "Harvest Restaurant". It shall be without a menu and you get your harvest - reaping what you sow and you just get served what you deserved. If you are the person holding the power to administer justice and fairness, make sure it is white as snow and do not withhold just rewards as it would make you as culpable as not applying justice and fairness.

One can never be fair without having an open mind and listening to both sides of the story or finding the truth and seeking the right path. That is why in the court of justice you have the persecution, the defence and finally the judge and in some places, the jury before the judge makes the final judgement by applying the law of the land. We are living in a world where increasingly people love and treasure things but use people rather than use things but love and treasure people and relationship. To avoid being unfair or unjust, hunger and thirst for righteousness.

How often and rarely do you find a person that is fair and just? When you know one, keep him as a treasure for life! Most importantly, observe and practise the Golden Rule: "Do to others what you would like others do unto you". If all of us do it, there will be happiness and world peace as all things would be fair and just. That will be an idealist's dream and stuffs that dreams are made of. Keep dreaming...Fair Dinkum.