Voice of the Student - January 16, 2023

Justice

In the lawless society before the concept of government existed, the physically strong were the ones who decided what was right and what was wrong. Humanity has come a long way since then, creating laws and methods of enforcing laws in order to establish societies. Power shifted from the physically strong to those who had the weapons or the people on their side. The ones who obtained power were the ones who decided the laws of the land, creating a system of justice. Justice is not about what any individual thinks about how a person should be rewarded or punished for their actions, but it is instead who those in power think should be rewarded or punished.

Justice is purely a man-made concept; before any forms of government, laws and justice did not exist. Before governments, people would’ve lived in small groups where the physically strong had the most control over everyone. In order for a weak person to obtain more power than the strong, the weak person would need to gather allies and work together with those allies in order to overpower the strong through numbers. Thankfully, in smaller groups it is easier for everyone to have the same ideals and general thoughts on right and wrong because there are fewer people to disagree with the general ideas.

This all changed as the human population grew and more power became obtainable. Eventually, men became powerful enough that they were able to create their own government and decide for their new subjects what justice is, as king. The kings were able to create laws and hire people to enforce those laws, creating some of the first systems of justice. In this age, what justice is to a person is dependent entirely upon the ideals and the opinions of the king. This results in a system where justice changes whenever the king changes his mind. The king can also be more lenient towards people he favors and he gets to decide who gets punished for law violations and what those punishments are.

One man having total power over the justice system was one of the many reasons why many people hated kings, resulting in those monarchies being overthrown and eventually replaced with democracies, which is how the system is for billions today. In democracy, justice is decided by the people, resulting in justice becoming what most people think is right. Now, in order for justice to change, the majority of people have to vote for it to change to their liking. This gives everyone a say on what justice should be, and gives everyone the power to change it.

What justice is differs widely between different groups, resulting in many different systems of justice enacted across the world. It is impossible to definitively call something out as being just or unjust, as Justice is a subjective concept defined by those in power. Justice has no set definition or meaning, and what it is to a person is dependent on that individual. 

Jackson Keeler is a senior at Ulysses High School. He is the son of Barton and Alice Keeler.

In collaboration with Ulysses High School teacher Jodi Pfingsten, the Ulysses News will feature a student column. Student writings are submitted by Mrs. Pfingsten after being edited in class. Student subjects and writing styles will vary based on guidelines set forth by Mrs. Pfingsten and the Ulysses News.