When we speak of Greek Justice, are we being precise? Is there such a thing as Greek Justice?

Justice as a concept and aspiration is one thing. The state mechanism for resolving disputes and prosecuting crimes is another. It is correct not only to say, but also to mean, that Justice has no nationality. There is no Greek, English, French or German justice in the essential sense, because Justice is a universal concept toward which citizens and society must orient themselves.

If courts and judges are permanently oriented toward the concept and substance of Justice, true Justice may gradually prevail in society. If, however, we continue to identify Justice with the state mechanism that resolves disputes and punishes crimes, we will not approach substantive Justice or enjoy its benefits.

The mistaken identification of Justice with the state mechanism for imposing authority on citizens, especially on those who do not submit to the prevailing power, can lead to the triumph of injustice. The socially weak person may be prosecuted, tried and convicted, while the powerful person escapes, prospers and triumphs while causing harm and remaining beyond reach.

A characteristic example of how many understand Justice is an article by a retired judicial officer titled "They do not respect Justice." In that text judges and courts are fully identified with Justice, and the author expresses anger because the chair of a parliamentary transparency committee invited the president and prosecutor of the Supreme Court to brief the committee. According to the article, even that invitation supposedly gave the committee superiority over the invited judicial officers.

The example shows that, even in the twenty-first century, many remain trapped in sterile confrontations rooted in remote historical assumptions: precedence, exclusion, competition among chiefs and nobles, and other primitive patterns that continue to survive and sometimes dominate public life.

Modern society requires different attitudes, fresh perceptions, different minds and, above all, seriousness if life is to become better, freer and of higher quality. Precedence and other institutional primitivisms must finally be set aside, and all public functions must be synchronized with the rhythm and demands of our time.