The Seven Virtues #6: Justice

The fourth and last cardinal (or pivotal) virtue is Justice.  Now Justice is not what is commonly seen on courthouse dramas.  That is only a small part of it.  The virtue of Justice extends to integrity, fairness, and honesty.
Integrity is doing the right thing when no one else is watching you.  Whether or not you believe in God and trust in Him, integrity is incredibly important for your prosperity.  In the short term, doing the right thing can harm you, but in the long term, you will benefit because of your attitude.  The world’s richest people have remained so because of their excessively high sense of integrity.
Fairness is not some selfish, childish desire.  Often times, the concept is invoked by children who are denied their own pleasures or by greedy people who live on the government’s whim (like welfare junkies or government union “workers”).  It is the sense of dealing with each and every person or situation with a sense of adequacy.  This does not mean that people are treated equally, but individually.  God does not treat us the same so why should we treat others the same?
Honesty is probably my personal standard of excellence.  If you are not honest in your dealings, I will lose all respect for you and I will refuse to deal with you.  In my opinion, if you cannot be honest then you are borderline subhuman.  As Kain said to Raziel in the video game Soul Reaver 2, “Hate me, but do it honestly.”
Justice is not about the equal distribution of income.  Social justice is anything but real justice because it fails to address the root of real justice.  Instead it is handled by people who administer based on their own personal preferences rather than true fairness.
Justice is not always served in the court system.  While our system of courts, where the accused are innocent until proven guilty in theory, is probably one of the more enlightened systems in human history, it still manages to fall prey to humanity’s sinful nature.  The O.J. Simpson and Michael Jackson cases is probably the most prominent.  In both cases, human nature played a larger part in the courtroom rather than some higher sense of decency.  While both men were judged to be not guilty, the antics in the court make it nearly impossible to determine the real truth of the matter.
But you can practice the virtue of Justice each and everyday.  Simple matters of integrity, being honest with others, and seeking out a reasonable sense of fairness when dealing with others is the best way to deal practice justice.  If you hold to this virtue, you will live a life to be admired by others.
So be honest in your dealings and encourage others to do so.  It will make this world a more pleasant place to live in.