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Injustice, or should we say, rampant injustice and/or abuse of authority, is a contemporary moral issue we are currently facing. It is defined as either the absence, or the opposite, of justice. It is also tied to corruption; since corrupt minds have the tendency to misjudge between what is right or wrong. Here I shall also tackle a severe form of injustice, human rights violations.As I have observed, injustice was already rampant since ancient times. Even in Biblical times, particularly in the Old Testament, injustice was present even in the Israelite society. In Ecclesiastes 3:16, it says, “I saw under the sun in the place of judgment wickedness, and in the place of justice iniquity.” (Douay-Rheims Version) I have observed that even God’s chosen people were susceptible to being harbingers of injustice. Some Kings of Israel and Kings of Judah were corrupt and disobedient to the Lord. According to tradition, King Manasseh of Judah had the Prophet Isaiah sawn in half. In my opinion, this is an example of injustice as Isaiah wasn’t evil and he didn’t deserve such inhumane treatment. He merely did his job as a prophet. Another example is Naboth’s execution brought by a false accusation. The conspirers were King Ahab of Israel and Jezebel his wife, a Phoenician. Daniel the post-exilic prophet was placed in the lion’s den being innocent, as his opponents manipulated a loophole in the king’s edict to have him imprisoned. Finally, Jesus the very Son of God was crucified despite being sinless. This shows how even Biblical characters, especially the godly pious ones, experienced injustice here on earth. Even until modern times, some people are falsely accused. The United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, admits that statistically 8% to 12% of all state prisoners are either actually or factually innocent. In the Philippines, it is sometimes fairly common to hear innocent prisoners suffering in prison due to a slow justice system.This I have observed. Sometimes, even those who commit petty crimes are viciously tortured to death. This is a clear violation of human rights. Everyone has the right to due process. Justice should be served in the correct way.
I felt pity to them, and I think I could help by raising awareness against the dangers of being falsely convicted. I have also learned that many great thinkers have discussed on this subject, emphasizing human weakness (imperfect mankind) as the common cause of falling into sin. I believe we should strive hard and lessen our blame on our inherent susceptibility to sin. St. Augustine, in his De Libero Arbitrio, states that "All nature in so far as it is nature is good. For if it is incorruptible it is better than a corruptible nature; and if it is corruptible, since in corruption it becomes less good, it without doubt is good. But all nature is corruptible or incorruptible. Consequently all nature is good." I believe there are many root causes in such cases, ranging from human imperfection to pure evil malignant intentions. We should continue to strive and take action, if we can help, against anything that would take away the dignity of the human persons. In 1965, Pope Paul VI’s Pastoral Constitution titled GaudiumEtSpes tackled many things. In Chapter IV, it reads: With integrity and wisdom, they must take action against any form of injustice and tyranny, against arbitrary domination by an individual or a political party and any intolerance. They should dedicate themselves to the service of all with sincerity and fairness, indeed, with the charity and fortitude demanded by political life.
It is clear that all of us, the Faithful, lay or clergy alike, has a role in being social transformers helping drive out any form of injustice that degrades the dignity of the human person.
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