Essay about what is just and unjust and how to figure it out

The essay

How do I know what is just and what is unjust?

Well, the way I see it, you get a gut feeling about whether the situation you are informed of, or are a part of, is just or unjust. You have to connect with your feelings and think it through, but the truth can only be revealed when you analyze the situation and listen to your gut feeling about whether you believe the situation is just or not. This has been shown in many books. I would like to speak about the character, Raven, in The unfairest of them all by Shannon Hale.

You see, Raven has made a decision that has affected all of her peers and impacted everyone. Because of what she did, chaos reigns and everyone is out of control. However, to figure out whether or not it is just or unjust to blame her. Raven said, "It's not all my fault. They choose what they do. I'm not making anyone do anything!" She believes that it isn't just to blame her for everything that is happening and that what she did wasn't wrong, which I believe too because she has evidence that it isn't her fault. She said that she wasn't making anyone do anything and that they choose what they do, which is true. The people choose what they do, therefore it is unjust to blame her for something she did not cause, as all she did was make a decision for herself. After all, all she wanted was a life she actually wanted to live, a path to choose for herself. It is not her fault that others chose to follow her example. That is how you figure out if something is just or unjust, you think it through, and listen to your gut feeling.

Another example is in Out of my mind by Sharon M. Draper. The main character, Melody, is abandoned by her team and so called friends and betrayed in such a hurtful way. She was left behind because of her disabilities, and her team viewed her as a hindrance. Did they have a good reason to leave her? Was she mean, arrogant? It is a character named Claire, a girl on her team who explains, and this was her reasoning:

"We figured you'd slow us down because you have to be fed and stuff."

Simply because she couldn't feed herself, they left her, and when it turned out that their flight had been cancelled and they were getting on the morning one, they didn't even care enough to call Melody and tell her. Melody had to go to the airport later and find out about it herself.

Now, how can we figure out if what Melody's team did to her is just or unjust? Let's think about it. Many of us have been taught many things throughout our lives, through preschool, through elementary school, through middle school and so on. Think back to when you were just a little kid, new to school, young and youthful. What is the most important lesson that the teachers told you, over and over? That's right. The Golden rule. 'Treat others the way you want to be treated.' Did Melody's team follow that rule? No, they did not, because it is highly doubtful that they would like to be abandoned like Melody was, which means they did not treat her the way they wanted to be treated. Furthermore, they left her because of her disabilities. Is it Melody's fault she was born like that? Is it her fault that she is not capable of everything her team can do? No, it is not, but she is intelligent, kind and makes a difference on the team. They are all talented, that's why they are on the team and no one should be left out because their team thinks they don't eat fast enough and slows them down. What Melody's team did was, without a doubt, unjust and we know that because of analyzing the situation.

Perhaps it is doubtful to some that you can figure out what is just and unjust by analyzing the situation and listening to your feelings. Perhaps you think that what has been said, or rather read, in this whole essay is cheesy, dumb and unreasonable. Perhaps there are some that think that all I really do is look to a grown up to tell me the answer. However, I do actively use my method whenever I have a problem and don't know who is the actual cause of it.

For example, when I was younger, I used to have friends who were bad influences, but at the time, I didn't realize it. Now I am no longer friends with them because they insulted me, taught me how to be mean to my little sister and were unloyal. How did I figure this out? I analyzed what they had done to me and listened to my gut feeling. Since preschool, we have been taught to treat others with kindness and as I look back, I see that they were not kind to me. I also listen to my gut feeling and how I feel when I'm around them. I feel unhappy, unappreciated and uncomfortable. I would not feel that way if they were true friends who made me feel like my presence was a good thing but instead they made me feel in ways that one would not feel around true friends. Now, when I try to figure out whether or not I should continue being friends with them, I analyze the situation and listen to my feelings and discover I still feel the same way about them and that they still make me uncomfortable, which is how I know I shouldn't try to reconcile our friendship. Moreover, analyzing the situation and listening to my feelings has also helped me decide that I shouldn't try to be mean to them either because I will follow the Golden Rule as it is my duty and responsibility. Just because they don't follow it doesn't mean I shouldn't.

Analyzing the situation and listening to my feelings helps me think things through, understand how I feel about things and how I should act on those feelings. Many people don't understand themselves and make mistakes they could prevent if they just tried to understand themselves and others. I will not blame someone without trying to figure out how they feel and how they see the situation because I don't want to blame them when it is unjust and wrong. My method has helped me make better decisions. Analyzing the situation in a logical way, connecting with my feelings and listening to my gut feeling is how I figure out what is just or unjust.