Truth and Justice go beyond all

[This was published in Dhaka Courier on 14 June 2013]

During a holiday some of the closest friends, old and new, gathered at the house of Mr. Samad, an engineer, at his invitation. Samad is known to all as one of the most dynamic; friendly and hospitable personalities since the very days of student life. He is still a bridge between or among the friends. From such standpoints, almost everybody turned up there to make it a grand success. Therefore, it was without a doubt a rarest occasion full of thrills, cheers and recollections. Some met after a long while other found opportunities to renew the old relations. They after a while got engrossed in gossips on many a topic, relevant or irrelevant, ranging from personal to professional to social to economic to religious to political to come what may not in a very staid  mood and fashion.

During the discussions Dr. Jalal, a professor of philosophy, threw an open question adding ‘what is truth?’ Professor Mujibur, a political scientist, instantly replied ‘Truth is beauty’. What is beauty?’ asked another friend Mr. Aziz, a publisher, ‘It’s very simple without doubt because everybody knows that beauty is truth’. Another friend Mr. Tapan, a business executive in a multi-national company, said ‘Truth is what it appears to be’. ‘No, I differ with both of you because truth can hardly be defined in such simple words. It’s an atomic concept, which swells in the context of its unfolding manifestation. Truth must be tagged with religion in the end’ refuted Mr. Jassim, a Professor of Comparative Religions. ‘Aren’t all these befooling to the highest order as they tend to pave the way for more philosophical penetration breeding number of loopholes necessarily or unnecessarily?  noted Mr. Junaid, a literary personality . ‘Well, let us take a choice that today we will not walk behind such philosophical jargons, which will merely snatch away our valuable time, energy and stock’ opined Mr. Kasem, a lawyer. Therefore, everybody hailed it as a wise conclusion.

When all these were going on, Mr. Rahman, an architect, was in the very deep of contemplation as if he were lost in the world of a new horizon. Mr. Yakub, a pharmacist, gave him a big jerk and he came to sense within a second posing a question “who did cause a havoc to me by pulling me down from the land of hopes and aspirations? All attentions were focused on him making a meaningful query in a body ‘what’s wrong in you?’ ‘Yes, I was thinking with utmost effort and patience what justice is in today’s context?’ responded Mr. Rahman in a calm and confident disposition.

‘Very interesting indeed’ one and all voiced in the same tune and tone.

‘Would you kindly explain what the upshot you have been carrying?’ asked Safi, a politician. ‘In fact, I understand that justice denotes in today’s perspective what the person concerned defines and sticks to’ said Mr. Rahman. ‘All these are bull sheets. I am convinced enough that that you are still in an atmosphere of hallucination’ retorted Mr. Ahmed, a journalist. ‘Do not misunderstand me emotionally and arrogantly because I am just applying the Bush policy that during the US-initiated multi-national war against Iraq under Saddam Husain made it clear that the definition of terrorism meant what US meant and asserted. Whoever dared to challenge such definition and stand under US leadership should instantly be treated as enemy of terrorism. Here President Bush did not allow thinking otherwise. You may call it chauvinistically imperialistic approach to terrorism. Today justice cannot be dispensed freely without having been retarded by many a factor and force from within and without. Usually it goes in favor of the powerful and there is a little chance for a balance to lean towards the powerless (the less fortunate and the poor). That’s why, better option needs to be made also for the poor, backward and less fortunate for which I wanted to include all, powerful and powerless. Hence, arises my definition---what the person concerned defines and sticks to. It has two advantages (a) it de-capitalize the concept and (b) it encompasses both the powerful and the powerless. Here justice is viewed as saleable commodity where the person(s) concerned shall play vital role in determining everything depending upon its nature, quality and necessity’, told Mr. Rahman.

‘There is no denying the fact that my friend Rahman has not only distorted the very meaning and sanctity of justice but also made daring attempt to envelop it with the mark of commodity. There might have some wrongs in dealing with justice but that does not mean that justice is not dispended with proper care and attention. When we say that justice is a kind of commodity we then go back to the world where men are poor, brutish and helpless. World is still fair and safe enough to live in. From the time immemorial human intellectualism and fairness have been quite faithful to the connotation of justice from the standpoints of its spirit and appeal. Therefore, let there be no ambiguity about the highness and supremacy of justice being above a kind of commodity’ roared Mr. Nasiruddin, a sociologist.

Mr. Shamim Ahsan, a civil society leader who has meanwhile set himself as one of the most acceptable, accommodative personalities in almost all domains, came forward with his loud voice backed by strong logic and mathematics stating ‘We are then again setting aside our choice line not to dwell upon any serious topic like justice, truth and so on at this auspicious hour of life. These are the areas where adequate time, energy and studies are needed if a free and sincere discussion is encouraged. Amateurship is good but it should have its limits. Settled issues should not be made unsettled in the manner you people are trying to. All of you are qualified in the respective disciplines but the general appeal and necessity of truth and justice shall never die under any circumstances. I thank you all for your interest in such issues but I request you all not to move merely with isolated, self-motivated interpretations. Truth and justice are not matters to be enslaved. They are light upon light, vision and mission upon vision and mission, starting from micro to macro levels.

Here few sayings as follows are unavoidable indeed:

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple (Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Ernest)’
“The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution (J.K.Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)”

‘Tell all the Truth but tell it slant--

Success in Circuit lies

Too bright for our infirm Delight

The Truth's superb surprise (Emily Dickinson, Tell all the Truth but tell it slant--)’

‘Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, equity or fairness, as well as the administration of the law, taking into account the inalienable and inborn rights of all human beings and citizens, the right of all people ad individuals to equal protection before the law pf their civil rights without discrimination on the basis of race, gender, ,sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, color, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, or other characteristics, ad is further regarded as being inclusive of social justice(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice’

 “Justice is conscience, not a personal conscience but the conscience of the whole of humanity" Alexander Solzhenitsyn

“Things go wrong in life. Justice is not done, and people sort of get used to it" Patricia High smith

 “In England, justice is open to all - like the Ritz Hotel" James Mathew

“Justice should not only be done, but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done" Lord Hewart

"For me, justice is the first condition of humanity" Wole Soyinka

‘The quality or fact of being just’.

‘The principle of fairness that like cases should be treated alike’.

‘A particular distribution of benefits and burdens fairly in accordance with a particular conception of what are to count as like cases’.

‘The principle that punishment should be proportionate to the offence’. (http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/justice)

Therefore, dear friends, let us open a chapter in the field of humors and jokes touched befittingly with wits, intelligence and prudence ’. Thus, shortly a stream of delightedness and excitement began to flow making the gathering a really enjoyable one.