It is only human to be interested in justice. Children seem to have an inbuilt (ie. innate) feeling about justice. It has been reported that very young children turn away from depictions of violence on t.v. programs designed for tots. Slightly older children, who are able to voice their feelings, are almost always heard to say ‘That’s not fair,’ implying an inborn sense of justice. We adults are very conscious of justice too, mainly as applied to the way we are treated – by others, by Nature, by (presumably) God, or officialdom.
Today, we see that the substantial percentage of Americans who have been assessed as needing enhanced access to health services cannot be assisted by their government. This is democracy at work. It is, however, undeniable that democracy has done little for the quality of life, and for protecting basic human freedoms, such as freedom from want, or from fear (much less freedom of thought and expression), of residents of nations which do offer a right to vote (as if that is all that is meant by ‘human rights.’
Have the major religions of mankind done better? Look at the families depicted as living on rubbish ‘dumps’ in the Philippines, or the terribly poor (allegedly gangster-ridden) people in Latin America, or the down-trodden Christians of Africa. Look too at the largest world democracy, India – has Hinduism done better there? What about Buddhism, Islam or other religions? Surely, one can starve successfully on religious faith!
During my formative period, I was surrounded by large numbers of really poor people. During the Japanese military occupation of Malaya, I was a teenager, forever hungry; and there were human beings slowly starving to death on pavements. I am now sensitive to high-sounding political or religious phrases/promises which have little to do with the brutal reality of life at ground level. Is such disparity fair or just?
RAJA ARASA RATNAM 