A Pursuit for Justice~

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”  This quote was written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a letter that he wrote from Birmingham Jail.  His point in writing this letter was to, among other reasons, address the hard-pressing issue of the discrimination of the African American population in the United States during the nineteen hundreds.  However, this quote has proven to be applicable in modern day issues.  The unjust treatment of people happens everyday in every country, and this decision to mistreat others often influences those around us, and can lead to the discrimination of even more people.  In essence, this quote tells us that until injustice stops completely, just treatment for everyone else is constantly being threatened.   

This quote was particularly moving because upon reading it, I was immediately reminded of several current world issues to which this quote could apply.  A good example of this would be the Middle East. When we look at what has become known as the Arab Spring, it becomes apparent that when one group of people calls for a cease to injustice, that voice then echos in many other countries and civil wars and massacres follow. In relation to the quote, the injustice from one country has over time threatened and influenced that of others, thus we have rioting populations fighting for the return of what they believe to be just.  The injustice that we see in the Middle East is not often directed at just one group.  Often times, injustice is thrown upon women, religious minorities, ethnic minorities, people who support a political power that is in contrast to the one set up, and also the poor.  This shows us an example of what the quote is saying.  As fighting continues to take place in the Middle East, more people are given more reasons to hate and suppress more people, so the injustice that was cast upon one group can also spur the unjust treatment of another.

Everyone is sensitive to the concept of ‘justice’.  Americans often go berserk when they feel like they have been treated unjustly by anyone, whether it’s a salesman, the president or even another country.  However, most everyone has at least once treated someone unjustly (by cheating off of a classmates test, by not letting someone sit with you at lunch because they were ‘uncool’, by gossiping about someone, etc.).  This is slightly ironic because we often expect to be treated justly, but find no need to treat others justly in return.  Part of what makes Dr. King’s quote so powerful is, that it challenges us to analyze our actions and treatment of others, and encourages us to stop injustice even in our own lives. By doing this, Martin Luther King Jr. was able to personally touch everyone with this single quote, and inspire us to seek and give justice in every aspect of our lives.