Since time immemorial, man has been struggling to make the world a better place to live in. Man has defined a better place to live in as a society that is free and just. Consequently, people have tried to implement rules and regulations that will make society as free and just as possible. On top, restrictions have been reduced as regards to trading between different countries in a move that is aimed at making life fair.
However, life is about relationships between people and not about trade or political endeavors (Niebuhr 2002, 74). Therefore, it is upon human beings to make life bearable to them and to others in the society. A free and just society requires upholding of moral values. In this regard, there are some moral values which are considered as being crucial in sustaining a free and just society.
It is the responsibility of people to make the society what they want it to be. Institutions are present but they cannot change human behavior. As a result, self responsibility is an important virtue in ensuring that society is bearable to live in. In this regard, people should be responsible for their own actions and the way they behave in the society (Koggel 2006, 88).
No institution can work in the world except when everybody is self responsible. We can have rules and regulations in place, schools, the government and free trade, but all these can only help in advancing human life only if human beings uphold the value of self responsibility. Justice can only prevail if human beings assume responsibility of their actions and make life good for themselves and others.
On the other hand, the belief in a supernatural being enhances the moral uprightness of human beings. Besides the materialistic needs, human beings need to satisfy their spiritual and psychological needs. Religious teachings help in regulating human behavior to conform to the requirements of the society. Research has shown that spiritual conformity ensures that rationalism is maintained in all aspects of human life.
When people believe in God, they tend to be realistic in life and truth becomes part of their nature. These people will treat others fairly which makes society free for everybody (Niebuhr 2002, 112). Furthermore, self responsibility is enhanced when one is spiritually upright. It should be noted that religiosity enhances objectivity, logic and above all, ensures that people resolve their differences amicably.
Moreover, spiritual teaching has been known to soften people’s hearts which reduces the tendency of people to be violent to one another. As a result, people who believe in the existence of God are less likely to offend others. Consequently, the belief in supernatural being will help in making society a free and just place to stay.
Justice is also another crucial value in making society free and impartial. Society is made up of people and it is how these people relate with each other that matters. As a result, society cannot be fair if people cannot treat all those around them equally. If each person treats one another fairly and without discrimination, society as a whole will be fair. Moreover, society does not have the ability of possessing behavior.
It is the collective behavior of members that makes up what is considered behavior of society. Furthermore, it is human that people will accord others the treatment they themselves are accorded. As a result, when all people exercise justice to others in society, even those with the tendency of being unfair find no reason of treating others unjustly (Nucci & Darcia 2008, 92).
For society to be free and fair lies, misguidance and other misleading behavior must be eliminated. Each member of society should ensure that all that he or she says is true. In society where truth prevails, everybody has equal opportunity of advancing. Therefore, the virtue of honesty is very crucial in any society.
People will be very hesitant of anything in a society where honesty is not upheld. Moreover, in the absence of honesty, freedom of people in society will be limited. It will be difficult to get any correct information in a society where people are rarely honest in whatever they do or say.
Moreover, it should be noted that justice goes hand in hand with truthfulness. One cannot claim to be treating others justly if the person is not honest (Koggel 2006, 132). Honest people will neither lie to others nor defraud them. Furthermore, being honest enables people to evaluate repercussion of their actions and make fair decisions.
A free society is defined as one where people can make their personal decisions without interference or coercion from any other person (Nucci & Darcia 2008, 69). People will be free to make independent decisions about their life if every other person respects the fact that people have the right to privacy.
As a result, it is important that the autonomy of people is respected. A free society does not necessarily mean that every person should be allowed act in any way that suits them, because others will want to do things that are offensive to others. In this regard, autonomy is defined as the act of ensuring that rational individuals are given the opportunity to make independent and informed choices (Niebuhr 2002, 74). Consequently, people will have the independence of leading their own private life in a more serene environment.
Society would be a battle field if people decide to cause harm to everybody around them. Freedom will highly be impaired because people will be afraid to move to certain places, for fear of finding themselves in a situation where they can sustain injuries. It is the moral obligation of people to ensure that they do not cause harm to themselves or to others.
Causing harm to one person may cause others to retaliate and the vicious cycle will in the end cause panic and even war in the society. As a matter of fact, it is unjust to cause harm to another person because it amounts to infringement of human rights. For justice to prevail in society, people should treat others with dignity (Nucci & Darcia 2008, 117). Consequently, morality demands that human beings avoid harming others so as to enhance justice among members of society.
Most importantly, respect for the rule of law is the crux of sustaining a free and fair society. If everybody chose to behave in a manner that is best to his personal interests while disregarding others’ rights, society will be chaotic. It is the moral obligation of members of society to respect the institutions that are in place.
Without law, people can do anything and go unquestioned by anybody. Therefore, in a free and just society, rule of law must prevail and guide the behavior of people (Koggel 2006, 126). The poor have to be protected from the rich in the society otherwise they will be mistreated. People will be confident in places where they know that they are protected by the law. Therefore, it should be noted that unless people take the responsibility of making society free and just, all other efforts will be futile.
References
Koggel, Christine. 2006. Moral Issues in Global Perspective Second Edition: Moral and Political Theory. Peterborough: Broadview Press.
Niebuhr, Reinhold. 2002. Moral Man and Immoral Society: A Study in Ethics and Politics. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.
Nucci, Larry P. and Darcia Narvaez. 2008. Handbook of Moral and Character Education. New York: Taylor & Francis.