THE cause of justice is served only by giving to each what is owed regardless of social status or anything else. That being so, I struggle to find justice in my surroundings. I was a student at one of the top-ranking high schools in the country. It was only logical for me to expect great morals and virtues being practised in such an environment. I was wrong. The environment was dictated by a clique of self-interested gentlemen who defined everything, including ethics, on the basis of what benefited them the most.

The school management believed in both distributive and corrective injustice; students with influence were forgiven, and a single favour became a leash for tomorrow. One example of such behaviour was when one of the teachers caught two students red-handed in a joint act.

Their crime was the same, but one, having a powerful background and a close rapport with the teacher, was left with a warning, while the other faced rather strict punishment.

This example may seem insignificant to many, but a society is built on these small acts of injustice. People rarely face great injustices, like Socrates and others did; they are constantly tormented by such seemingly minor acts of injustice.

M. Hassam
Wah Cantt

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2025