{"id":2691,"date":"2025-07-05T18:18:33","date_gmt":"2025-07-05T18:18:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/?p=2691"},"modified":"2025-07-07T10:25:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T10:25:16","slug":"justice-in-an-unjust-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/inspiration\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Justice in an Unjust World"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Compass or an Illusion?<\/em><\/h2>\n

A human being is capable of empathy. We can feel for one another, care, protect, and share. And we\u2019re not alone in that \u2014 animals like elephants, dolphins, and bonobos show signs of communal care and mourning.<\/p>\n

But once we introduce the human-made concept of justice<\/strong>, things become complicated.<\/p>\n

In a world increasingly driven by individualism, competition, and survival-of-the-fittest mentalities, justice becomes more than just an ideal \u2014 it becomes a source of frustration<\/strong>. We crave fairness, but live in systems that reward ego, power, and self-interest. And we ask ourselves:
\nIs this world unjust \u2014 or are our expectations misaligned with how human societies actually function?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Justice vs. Human Nature<\/h3>\n

Justice assumes a level playing field \u2014 one where empathy, equality, and dignity guide our interactions. But human nature is wired for self-preservation<\/strong>, shaped by our environment, culture, and nervous systems that prioritize short-term safety over collective thriving.<\/p>\n

We are not born inherently fair or unfair. We are born with potential \u2014 and that potential unfolds in relationship to our environment.
\nThis brings us to the old debate: nature vs. nurture<\/strong>. Or more aptly: nature through<\/em> nurture.<\/p>\n

A Systemic View: Clare Graves & Spiral Dynamics<\/h3>\n

Psychologist Clare Graves<\/strong> and the framework of Spiral Dynamics<\/strong> teach us that human values evolve through developmental stages. These stages reflect shifting priorities:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Survival & safety (Beige\/Red)<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Tribal belonging (Purple)<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Power & dominance (Red)<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Order & structure (Blue)<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Achievement & competition (Orange)<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Empathy & egalitarianism (Green)<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • \u2026and so on.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Each value system has its own logic \u2014 and its own blind spots. Justice from a \u201cGreen\u201d worldview (based on empathy and inclusion) will clash with \u201cOrange\u201d (focused on individual success) or \u201cRed\u201d (dominated by power).<\/p>\n

    This means: we often speak different ethical languages without knowing it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Is Justice Unrealistic?<\/h3>\n

    Perhaps the greatest irony is this:
    \nThe more we idealize justice, the more we suffer from its absence.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    This doesn\u2019t mean we should abandon it. It means we must see justice not as a static truth<\/strong>, but as a directional compass<\/strong>. A way to orient ourselves toward deeper humanity \u2014 even in a world not yet ready to fully embody it.<\/p>\n

    From Competition to Collaboration<\/h3>\n

    True justice won\u2019t be achieved by fixing laws alone, or punishing wrongdoers more harshly. It requires a shift from \u201cme against the world\u201d<\/strong> to \u201cwe are part of something larger.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Justice must become an inner practice, not just an external demand. It means:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Practicing empathy even when it’s uncomfortable.<\/li>\n
    • Understanding that others live in different value systems.<\/li>\n
    • And choosing to collaborate instead of dominate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      In doing so, we move from individualism to co-creation<\/strong>. From blind judgment to mutual recognition. From punishment to restorative action<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      Final Reflection<\/h3>\n

      What if justice was never meant to be guaranteed \u2014
      \nbut rather, a daily act of courage<\/strong> in a still-unequal world?<\/p>\n

      What if justice is not a destination, but a question we must keep asking \u2014 together?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      A Compass or an Illusion? A human being is capable of empathy. We can feel for one another, care, protect, and share. And we\u2019re not alone in that \u2014 animals like elephants, dolphins, and bonobos show signs of communal care and mourning. But once we introduce the human-made concept of justice, things become complicated. In […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[142,140,137,132,146,139,128,145,141,143,147,138,144,136,46],"class_list":["post-2691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiration","tag-collectiveintelligence","tag-compassionatesociety","tag-empathy","tag-fairness","tag-futureofsociety","tag-humannature","tag-justice","tag-leadershipdevelopment","tag-moraldevelopment","tag-psychology","tag-restorativepractices-en","tag-socialevolution","tag-sociology","tag-spiraldynamics-en","tag-systemchange"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nJustice in an Unjust World - Govert van Ginkel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Justice is often seen as the difference between good and bad. But is this really what is at stake here or is there another question to ask?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/inspiration\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Justice in an Unjust World - Govert van Ginkel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Justice is often seen as the difference between good and bad. But is this really what is at stake here or is there another question to ask?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/inspiration\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Govert van Ginkel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-05T18:18:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-07T10:25:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Gerd-Altmann-from-Pixabay-hand-3585349_1280.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"905\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Govert van Ginkel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Govert van Ginkel\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/en\\\/inspiration\\\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/en\\\/inspiration\\\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Govert van Ginkel\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e2568f8028f1e53da1d48b132d73b023\"},\"headline\":\"Justice in an Unjust World\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-05T18:18:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-07T10:25:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/en\\\/inspiration\\\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":489,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/en\\\/inspiration\\\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/Gerd-Altmann-from-Pixabay-hand-3585349_1280.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"#CollectiveIntelligence\",\"#CompassionateSociety\",\"#Empathy\",\"#Fairness\",\"#FutureOfSociety\",\"#HumanNature\",\"#Justice\",\"#LeadershipDevelopment\",\"#MoralDevelopment\",\"#Psychology\",\"#Restorativepractices\",\"#SocialEvolution\",\"#Sociology\",\"#spiraldynamics\",\"#SystemChange\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Inspiration\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/en\\\/inspiration\\\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/en\\\/inspiration\\\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/en\\\/inspiration\\\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\\\/\",\"name\":\"Justice in an Unjust World - Govert van Ginkel\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/en\\\/inspiration\\\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/en\\\/inspiration\\\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/Gerd-Altmann-from-Pixabay-hand-3585349_1280.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-05T18:18:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-07T10:25:16+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e2568f8028f1e53da1d48b132d73b023\"},\"description\":\"Justice is often seen as the difference between good and bad. But is this really what is at stake here or is there another question to ask?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/en\\\/inspiration\\\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/en\\\/inspiration\\\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/en\\\/inspiration\\\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/Gerd-Altmann-from-Pixabay-hand-3585349_1280.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/Gerd-Altmann-from-Pixabay-hand-3585349_1280.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":905,\"caption\":\"How do we know right from wrong?\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/en\\\/inspiration\\\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Justice in an Unjust World\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/\",\"name\":\"Govert van Ginkel\",\"description\":\"Trainer en coach in Verbindend Communiceren\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e2568f8028f1e53da1d48b132d73b023\",\"name\":\"Govert van Ginkel\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/82fc2d0715d891981728ba52bb158388c395f6b26868361e38b9b3b69a8b52dd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/82fc2d0715d891981728ba52bb158388c395f6b26868361e38b9b3b69a8b52dd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/82fc2d0715d891981728ba52bb158388c395f6b26868361e38b9b3b69a8b52dd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Govert van Ginkel\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\\\/en\\\/author\\\/govert\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Justice in an Unjust World - Govert van Ginkel","description":"Justice is often seen as the difference between good and bad. But is this really what is at stake here or is there another question to ask?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/inspiration\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Justice in an Unjust World - Govert van Ginkel","og_description":"Justice is often seen as the difference between good and bad. But is this really what is at stake here or is there another question to ask?","og_url":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/inspiration\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\/","og_site_name":"Govert van Ginkel","article_published_time":"2025-07-05T18:18:33+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-07-07T10:25:16+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":905,"url":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Gerd-Altmann-from-Pixabay-hand-3585349_1280.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Govert van Ginkel","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Govert van Ginkel","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/inspiration\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/inspiration\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\/"},"author":{"name":"Govert van Ginkel","@id":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/#\/schema\/person\/e2568f8028f1e53da1d48b132d73b023"},"headline":"Justice in an Unjust World","datePublished":"2025-07-05T18:18:33+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-07T10:25:16+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/inspiration\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\/"},"wordCount":489,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/inspiration\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Gerd-Altmann-from-Pixabay-hand-3585349_1280.jpg","keywords":["#CollectiveIntelligence","#CompassionateSociety","#Empathy","#Fairness","#FutureOfSociety","#HumanNature","#Justice","#LeadershipDevelopment","#MoralDevelopment","#Psychology","#Restorativepractices","#SocialEvolution","#Sociology","#spiraldynamics","#SystemChange"],"articleSection":["Inspiration"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/inspiration\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/inspiration\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\/","url":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/inspiration\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\/","name":"Justice in an Unjust World - Govert van Ginkel","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/inspiration\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/inspiration\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Gerd-Altmann-from-Pixabay-hand-3585349_1280.jpg","datePublished":"2025-07-05T18:18:33+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-07T10:25:16+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/#\/schema\/person\/e2568f8028f1e53da1d48b132d73b023"},"description":"Justice is often seen as the difference between good and bad. But is this really what is at stake here or is there another question to ask?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/inspiration\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/inspiration\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/inspiration\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Gerd-Altmann-from-Pixabay-hand-3585349_1280.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Gerd-Altmann-from-Pixabay-hand-3585349_1280.jpg","width":1280,"height":905,"caption":"How do we know right from wrong?"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/inspiration\/justice-in-an-unjust-world\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Justice in an Unjust World"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/","name":"Govert van Ginkel","description":"Trainer en coach in Verbindend Communiceren","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/#\/schema\/person\/e2568f8028f1e53da1d48b132d73b023","name":"Govert van Ginkel","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/82fc2d0715d891981728ba52bb158388c395f6b26868361e38b9b3b69a8b52dd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/82fc2d0715d891981728ba52bb158388c395f6b26868361e38b9b3b69a8b52dd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/82fc2d0715d891981728ba52bb158388c395f6b26868361e38b9b3b69a8b52dd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Govert van Ginkel"},"url":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/author\/govert\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2691"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2697,"href":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2691\/revisions\/2697"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.govertvanginkel.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}