Great Construction

The Worth of Human Beings Lies in Their Sense of Justice


     The level of the sense of justice held by individuals is probably the most accurate way to evaluate the worth of human beings. Those who maintain a high level of this measure will not do anything bad so they can be trusted. No anxiety is felt over entrusting something to these individuals. When these are the standards, evaluation is accurate. It would be fair to say that there is no better way. In other words, a sense of justice is the mettle of an individual. Those without a sense of justice are like the boneless jellyfish, so they are dangerous and no one knows what they will do. Therefore, in all matters and affairs, the right or wrong of something should first be judged, and when something is judged to be wrong, should not be yielded to but resisted with right. If such a way of handling matters spreads throughout society, there may be temporary setbacks, but ultimately matters will go as one believes right, so there is no need for concern. In any case, there are just too many evil people in society these days, so it is a world in which one cannot be negligent nor careful enough because carelessness at one moment may immediately lead to being deceived, taken advantage of, and falling into a terrible situation. Weak individuals are thus always agitated, and this is because they do not have a firm, steady sense of justice.
     My best evidence for this pronouncement are in my many long years of experience. For reference I describe them here. Before I became involved in religion, I was in business and during that time I came across many evil people who deceived and brought me to horrendous situations. But thankfully, I was born with an extraordinary sense of justice, so in whatever happenstance I found myself in, I put self-interest aside and fought. I made it a point to stick to a sense of justice for which I did suffer many setbacks, but they were all temporary and matters would eventually improve, the other party would yield and give up. As a result, I was to recoup my losses and then derive extra advantage as well. For those reasons, I was always juggling three or four court cases, and there are even some that continue to this day. There were times when money was short and I was really in trouble, and my opponents trusting to their own money and position bullied me with a vengeance, but in the long run, situations developed to my advantage, and my opponents had to give in to me.
     I will describe an example of one of those times. In the period of my life when I operated a wholesale store for sundries, I invented a new accessory that I patented in ten countries throughout the world. When the product went on the market, it was a big success, and I entered into a special contract with the Mitsukoshi Department Store. The product became quite a hit in its day, and as it became so I received a rather selfish demand from the Tokyo Association of Sundries Dealers. Of the two versions of the product I was selling, they wanted me to sell one version to them and sell the other version to Mitsukoshi. Since that would mean infringing on my contract with Mitsukoshi, I did not comply with their demand. The Association, assembling all the resources at its disposal, with the excuse that I would not follow their orders, got all the sundries dealers in Tokyo to boycott my business, but even so, I did not give up, so for a while my business suffered great loss. I patiently put up with the boycott, and after two years, the Association conceded defeat, and we reached a compromise.
     Another interesting incident occurred at the time that Mitsukoshi made some unreasonable demands in their dealings with me, and when I protested saying that I would cut off business with them, the staff at Mitsukoshi in charge of my account were shocked. One later told me that the many times they had made demands on their suppliers, the wholesalers had acquiesced and swallowed the loss but they never had come across a wholesaler like me who had responded in such strong terms. My claim had been right, Mitsukoshi gave in, and we came to an agreement.
     I have described in different volumes of the Jikan Library the commotion and vagaries I have repeatedly experienced since I became involved with religion, in many instances quite critical and dangerous. In those days, new religions were as a matter of policy oppressed by the authorities, and the center and instigators of this policy was the military clique, so there was nothing to be done. It was indeed a rough period. Today, however, the Japanese military has meet the fate we see today, so in the end, justice prevailed. As we can see in these instances, evil overwhelms this world and good may temporarily be defeated, but with patience and endurance, good will win. To tread the path of good, not fearing anything, squarely confronting the world with a pleasing and positive attitude is the way things should be. Individuals with such attitudes become pillars of society and a defense against social evil, thus a healthy, sound society appears. Why this should occur is because God invariably sides with individuals who are right.

Eikō, Issue 125, page A1, October 10, 1951
translated by cynndd


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“Ningen no Kachi wa Seigikan,” which was published originally on the front page of Eikō, Issue 125, October 10, 1951, and reprinted while Meishu-sama still alive in the essays anthology for ministers Goshinsho: Shūkyō-hen (Divine Writings: Volume on Religion), page 43, March 25, 1954, has appeared in translation. Citation is given below for reference.

A Man Can Be Evaluated by His Sense of Righteousness,Foundation of Paradise, 1984, page 176.

“Maintain a Sense of Righteousness,” Teachings of Meishu-sama, Volume Four, 2007, page 13.

“A Sense of Justice,” Reaching for Faith, 2010, page 12.