As we mark the World Day of Social Justice on 20th February, it is timely to contemplate the requirements of making social justice a reality. To be just requires fair-mindedness in our judgments, for equity in our treatment of others; and application of justice every day, in everything we do and towards all our fellow human beings.
We can each play a role in building a just and peaceful society. “It is … the task of each one of us, through an awareness of our real nature as servant of one Creator and member of one human family, to fulfil the divine will of bringing all peoples into harmony and peace, freeing the planet from poverty and war,” says the Bahá’í Writings.
Bringing people to peace and harmony cannot be achieved without observing justice towards all. Justice is closely linked with the acceptance of the oneness of humanity and the belief in the oneness of humanity is a requirement for building a unified world.
Only when we, as individuals, see ourselves as members of one human family, sharing one common global homeland, will we be able to commit ourselves to the far-reaching changes, on both individual and collective levels, which an increasingly interdependent and rapidly changing world necessitates.
Baha’u’llah, 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 tranquility of the nations depend upon it”, and that “true peace and tranquility will only be realized when every soul will have become the well-wisher of all mankind.”
Justice and unity are reciprocal in their effects. It is the requirement of justice that everyone is treated equally and with dignity. The chief instrument for the transformation of society and the achievement of global unity, Bahá’u’lláh asserts, is the establishment of justice in the affairs of humanity. “The light of men is Justice,” He states. “The purpose of justice is the appearance of unity among men.”
“The unity that must underpin a peaceful and just social order” in the Bahá’í view, “is a unity which embraces and honours diversity. Oneness and diversity are complementary and inseparable. … Acceptance of the concept of unity in diversity, therefore, implies the development of a global consciousness, a sense of world citizenship, and a love for all of humanity.”
When everyone in society can trust that they are given equal rights and opportunities, then qualities such as honesty, a willingness to work, and a spirit of cooperation can be harnessed and used for to the accomplishment of collective goals.
Nurturing love and respect towards people of different backgrounds and cultivating an attitude of co-operation at all the levels of society will require universal education in the oneness of humanity and the concept of world citizenship.
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