A Just Society

I guess I would consider myself an advocate for social justice. I am in the Be House special living option that focuses on leadership and social justice, and I love to debate sensitive issues and “hot topics.” But I ask myself over and over again what exactly is social justice?

Today in class when we were discussing our persuasive essays and speeches on public policy we were asked to list ten problems we found in society. My list included racism, gay rights, video games, and access to education. But as I look back I ask myself what determines an issue as a problem? What deems something an injustice against society?

I think the fact that these questions are so hard to answer is why so many “problems” exist in our society. The average individual would not consider himself or herself an advocate for social justice, and this is a problem! People don’t know what social justice is and this ignorance just perpetuates the problem. How often do we overlook those who have less than us? Do we ever stop and think about how our actions affect those around us? A web of moral ecology connects us all, and we must be cognisant of our interpersonal connections. Refusal to realize these interpersonal connections results in a world that refuses to be responsible for our actions. This responsibility is crucial to understanding the true nature of social justice, and without it solutions are hard to come by. But just now I admitted that I ask myself over and over what social justice is? So does that mean that each and every one of us perpetuates social injustice by not having a clear definition?

So is social justice just an endless chain of questions? I feel terrible saying that I honestly don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.  It appears just as society quells one social injustice another one seems to present itself. But this “endless cycle” is what makes the commitment to social justice so strong. And as citizens I believe we are compelled to continue this struggle no matter how endless the cycle seems.