Justice and the Empty Scale

When we look at the symbol of Justice we find an empty scale.  Justice in it's purest form is represented best this way and worth contemplation.  When we hear a person ask for, or demand, Justice are they really asking for that?

If a person receives favorable treatment the first reaction by many is to throw weights on the other side of the scale.  There is no way to perfectly balance the arms of Justice so we end up throwing weights on each side of the scale. At a point the arms of the balance become strained and eventually will break.

We see the attempts to weigh the scales in someone's favor so often that we seem to have lost the meaning of Justice.

Justice is not "fair" treatment, though many attempt to frame it that way.  The word "fair" is subjective, and can never be equal.  Justice is the place where we all have the same rights as individuals.  If we all have the same rights in the eyes of Justice, we all have the same access to Justice and the same view from the eyes of those who uphold justice.  The symbol of the blind folded woman administering Justice is redundant with the empty scale.


In purest form Justice is not vindictive or spiteful, though many will attempt to make that claim.  Justice is not malicious, and does not discriminate.  Certain actions make it extremely difficult to remove the weights from the scale, and sometimes impossible, but the goal of administering Justice should never change.

So the next time you hear someone demand or ask for Justice ask them.  "Do you want to empty the scales?"  If not, then explain to them that they are really not asking for justice.