One works best while performing the duties he/she likes and naturally suited. Every person has skills to execute roles in society. There is a correlation between justice in the society and an individual.
If only justice can be found in a society, then justice in an individual will be an easy task. Finding justice in the society is easier than finding the justice in an individual. “Begin by looking for the virtues of character in a constitution before look for them in an individual” (Plato 215, par 3, L 1-3).
Justice, which is suitable for the constitution of the country, is also beneficial to the people. An individual is jus a minute portion of a society. What pleases the community pleases the people? If a person does the task, he or she is well suited to then the person will be happy. This will eventually see the whole society happy and happiness is a concept in justice.
Justice has different meanings to different people and societies. The Plato’s theory of justice tries to balance what people and societies practice. “Justice is the good of another” (Plato 42, par 2, L 12). The society upholds the virtues such as justice, piety, courage, friendship and fairness.
The nation stipulates harsh consequences for people who are unjust. The society has legal institutions with skilled personnel to deal with the moral decadence in the community. Some people do wrong to others and go scot-free. It is better if they are not identified than if identified and fail to face the law. In such cases, injustice becomes profitable. “I say that injustice is profitable, and justice is not” (Plato 24, par 2, L 5).
Today there are agencies e.g. Transparency International, which monitor the conducts of various institutions, then makes it public to the mass. Injustice is rampant among the rich than among the poor. The rich are happy ad respected while the poor are unhappy. Plato thwarts this argument by saying that justice is good, and injustice is evil irregardless of the status. “Call justice a virtue and injustice a vice” (Plato 24, Par 2, L 5).
The society is also full of the unjust, but they are considered just due to the roles they play. The judicial system is regarded as the highest authority where justice should prevail. Plato argues that one is just if his duties require him to lie. This is why the judicial lawyers defend the criminals in the courts.
People expect to get the best from their fellows. This equilibrium can be attained if each does the best to a colleague. There are those who hinder the justice levels in the society. These include the thugs, rappers, terrorists, prostitutes and other related actions. The society tries to be just, but the people in it can not allow it to achieve that standard. Different individuals have different meanings of justice. What one considers just may be considered unjust by the other.
The American culture manifests the theory of Plato to some extent. This culture tries to eradicate the discrimination against race and gender. America is a liberal state where one does the role he or she is naturally suited. The increased health insurance cover for the children is a critical step towards attaining justice in the United States of America.
Giving women opportunities to exercise their potentials acquired naturally is a road to achieving Plato’s theory of justice. Some people still use tyranny to rule in the society. Tyranny is unacceptable because it is unjust. “Look at all the wealthy private citizens in the cities who have many slaves, for, like a tyrant, they rule over some” (Plato 249, par, 2, L, 2-3). Some individuals do various things just to please them. They do not care about the suffering of the otters.
The Americans believes in the outcome of the judicial process irregardless of whom is on the wrong. The lawyers may be forced to make false statements during trials to win cases for their clients. The American culture is particularly strict on terrorism and wages war with the offenders. This will see people living happily. “If just and injustice is clear to us, then acting justly, acting unjustly and doing injustice are also clear” (Plato 120, par 3, L 1-2).
Work Cited
Plato. Grube, George. Reeve, C. Republic. Indiana: Hackett Publishing, 1992 (2) 20-250.