Write about justice
The 500 Words
When I think of justice, I think about someone who has been
wronged and deserves retribution. I pretty much always thought that it was
always good v. bad and how when the good person was punished, it was someone’s
duty to remedy to mistake so that the bad person could be punished.
Boy, have I learned something new!
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Justice cannot be for one side
alone, but must be for both.” She also said, “When will our consciences grow so
tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?” She was
an extraordinary woman, and her insight gives me new meaning to the word ‘justice.’
‘Good’ and ‘bad’ are not simply black and white concepts. It
has taken me a long time to understand the concept of seeing things in shades
of grey, and it is definitely something that I want to pass on to my kids
someday. It was something my dad always tried to explain to me, but it never
took until I was older.
Ms. Roosevelt reminds us that justice is most certainly not
one-sided. I know that I have been at fault for denying justice to one party
during an argument that I was not a part of. It is not my place to judge, but I
can assess and determine my position after I’ve heard both sides of a story. I
can decide for myself, and then I can stand by my choice.
The second quote relates to my current experience with my
graduate program; many of us are studying Community Leadership because we want
to save the world. I was never one to think that the world as a whole was in
despair, only that there were a few areas that I thought I had thoughts on
improving. There is so much justice in preventing misery, and there are some communities
that are in serious need of some justice right now. I know that by studying in
this program, I will gather the tools I need to foster justice in communities
wherever I go, because I know that I am that kind of person.
I guess when I think of justice, I also think that means
standing up for the little guy who can’t stand up for themselves. This is a
misconception. You should always stand up for what’s right, regardless. When
you stand up together, you become a team.
Anyway, I guess my overall point in this is how justice
should be taken seriously and proved more often in our communities today. Stand
up for yourself, because what you have to say does matter. Stand up for others
if you believe it to be right, because what they have to say matters as well.
Believe in things, fight for the right to believe in them, and just try to make
the world a better place. They world needs people like that, otherwise it is
simply going to hell in a hand basket. We can do it.
No comments:
Post a Comment