Where’s my Soup: Justice and Education

by Harrison Green

Justice has always been an interesting topic to me, the word ‘Justice’ has so much history and deep integrated roots within our society. Justice sprouts from this idea of ‘right and wrong’, but who gets to decide whether the actions we take are right or wrong? And is it that straightforward?

We have seen throughout history the role that justice plays in forming our society, from the recent Black Lives Matter movement seeking justice against institutions that are meant to protect us, to the Peace and Reconciliation work in South Africa. Justice (and more importantly this concept of ‘Social Justice’) is a key component of these movements and seeks to hold those accountable for both current and past injustices. 

Fairness is at the core of all justice that exists, linking back to that principle of ‘right and wrong’ it is important to consider why we seek justice in the first place. At the core of our human condition is the need to seek justice when we feel we have been wronged, this need and want is what binds us all together. It crosses religions, race, and continents and even in our most divided times, we are all looking for this ‘justice’. We seek it out to feel better about ourselves, if we have been wronged, knowing that the other individual has been punished too can bring a great sense of peace to our minds.

If we look at everyday life, let us say you are out at a restaurant and you order a certain flavoured soup, when the soup arrives it is the wrong flavour. You feel wronged right? You specifically asked for one flavour and you have been given another? That is not fair, and it is wrong not right. You now wish to seek justice, be it seeking out a waiter to bring you the right one or leaving a bad review. This little experience still has justice at its core, it is not a massive social justice street march rallying thousands of people together to seek justice, but it is justice in your own right.

Whilst doing some research for this piece, I found a lot of literature and teachings on justice from various religious sources; much so than I had expected. The importance that religions put on justice is significant, it is so deeply intrenched within history and basic understanding that it is hard to ignore the hunger for justice in the world when you look closely. Just to highlight one example of the religious contexts of justice I will take a passage from the Bible, Micah 6:8; “… and what does the lord require of you but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”. 

Showing just three requirements from God and one of them being justice shows its significance. But I will not read too much into these passages and literatures I found, as I believe it is up to you, the reader, to interpret your own sense of justice and understanding in a way that works for you. Look into your everyday life, see the small justices you seek out subconsciously and appreciate the deep-rooted meaning that justice has as a universal understanding. 

Harrison Green

U&K Things to think about:

Using the Useful and Kind approach think of other ways you might respond to the waiter. 

• Be aware of your own desire to humiliate and shame the other and be aware of how that has played out in history

• practise empathy for the waiter - what was going on for them? How busy where they? Was it carelessness?

• imagine if they were a reportee, or child or loved one - how might you respond differently?

• how important in the great schemas of things is it that you got the wrong soup? Are you in a hurry?

• does it remind you of an early experience where you were shamed for getting something wrong? Are you projecting this onto the other

• ask if you were the waiter how you might lovingly be shown your error

Exercise

Use the following questions to help you to identify the issues for you too:

Self

• how are we just in our personal relationships?

• how could we be more forgiving?

• how can we develop the idea of guardianship and stewardship over ownership for ourselves?

• how are we benefited from injustice and privilege (by class, race, sexuality, the point we find ourselves in history etc)?

• what is within our agency to change?

• how might our actions perpetuate injustice?

• how can we recognise it, change it and fight against injustice?

Others

• how are we just to others? Is it different if they are friends, family, group, team?

• how do we respond to those who are unjust? do we try to understand the terrain that led to this?

• do we model a different way?

• is that sufficient?

• do we campaign for change, do we offer carrot or stick or both?

• how can showing, understanding and love to the difficult others make a difference

World

• what can we do to model, create and fight for a more just world?

• what practical steps can you take today, next week, next month, next year?

• how can you engage with what you cannot see?

• what can you sacrifice for others, for the world, what can you go without?

• how can you support yourself as you make these changes?

• what prosocial action can you take - campaigning, demonstrating, modelling a new way?