As we observe the World Day of Social Justice on 20 February, it is an opportune time to reflect on the interpersonal relationship between social justice and peace.
Social justice entails that everyone is treated equally and with dignity. It implies equality before the law, equal opportunity for all, and a more equitable management and distribution of wealth.
The attainment of idealised peace is closely linked to social justice. It is the Bahá’í view that justice and peace can only be achieved through the acceptance of the oneness of humanity, by embracing human diversity, and by not refraining from confronting the prejudices that are currently the causes of division and wars.
It is the requirement of justice that everyone is treated equally and with dignity – from whatever race, religion, nationality, ethnic group or gender they may be.
Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, states: “No light can compare with the light of justice. The establishment of order in the world and the tranquillity of the nations depend upon it.”
He further asserts that in the sight of God, justice is “the best beloved of all things” since it permits each one of us to see with our own eyes rather than through the eyes of others, to know through our own acquired knowledge rather than the knowledge we have gleaned from our neighbour or of the particular group that we belong to.
To be fair-minded in our judgments, we therefore need to investigate all matters and not imitate others.
In addition to daily applications of justice by individuals, creating a just world order requires a “just legislation in accord with the Divine laws which guarantee the happiness of society and protect the rights of all mankind . . . laws insuring the integrity of the members of society and their equality before the law,” as stated by the Bahá’í writings.
“The purpose of justice,” Bahá’u’lláh’s writings elaborated, “is the appearance of unity among men.”
The building of a united global society is essential to all of humanity’s well-being, peace and prosperity, and the implementation of justice is vital to the establishment of unity and harmony at all levels of society because it provides the standard by which individual conduct and collective effort are judged.
Considering that prejudices are the major causes of injustice and disunity, the Bahá’í writings assert that “ . . .we must lay aside all prejudice – whether it be religious, racial, political or patriotic; we must become the cause of the unification of the human race.
“Strive for universal peace, seek the means of love, and destroy the basis of disagreement so that this material world may become divine, the world of matter become the realm of the Kingdom and humanity attain to the world of perfection”.
To observe social justice implies fair-mindedness in our judgments, equity in our treatment of others, and the application of justice every day in everything we do and towards all our fellow human beings.
- Flora Teckie is a professional architect, a Bahá’í Faith follower, and spiritual columnist
