This I Believe

I believe that all people deserve justice. I now that this does not separate me from the vast majority of the world’s population. I also know that this sounds like a very simple belief. I also know that this is far from a simple belief. Injustices occur among us constantly. Sometimes we see them, and sometimes we are naïve or ignorant to them. Sometimes a child sits in a cafeteria with a lunch that wont come close to filling them. Sometimes the person in the checkout line in front of us is denied the same service as us. Sometimes someone feels excluded, but you would never know by simply looking at them. And sometimes people are blatantly mistreated. And sometimes people aren’t give the necessary resources to live. Sometimes people have their lives taken from them. Injustice occurs all around us. I know that my stated belief sounds simple, but it is far from it. I also know that I don’t always live up to this creed. I just wrote about how I know these injustices exist, yet I fall short of fighting them on a daily basis.

Justice is only going to realized when every person on Earth has the means necessary to live an equal life to that of his/her neighbor. To achieve this, social justice practices have to be employed, and many cases the vary practices create new injustices. The issue is always bigger than it appears at face value. Of this, I am certain. The correct principal needs to be employed and often times is requires multiple principles and practices.

So I know that at the very basic level, I need to address the injustices I encounter when I encounter them—at that very moment and in the moments that follow. I need to be strong willed and passionate. I also need to understand that comparing injustices is an injustice in itself. Every injustice affects the person experiencing it, and to varying degrees. Taking the time to help those who need help is the start of the fight for justice. Learning the cause and correcting it is mandatory to ensure that it ceases to exist.

So as I said, all people deserve justice—children and adults, the strong and the meek, the loud and the quiet, regardless of geography, race, or creed.

Until people are not put to death for beliefs, are not taken advantage, are not in fear of others or to be who they are, are not treated differently through no fault of their own, and that little child doesn’t sit in a cafeteria without enough food, justice is not served. So as I said, I believe that all people deserve justice. And I know how complicated that belief really is.