I believe we live in an unfair world. I believe that justice should be more than an abstract and often legal concept. As a kid I wanted to believe that life was fair, and that people, should be treated with dignity and respect. I always wanted to help the victims who had been cheated or badly treated. I was too shy to do much, but would imagine the rescues I could perform if given the chance. But even though I am not a full-grown adult my knowledge about the world has expanded greatly. My favorite stories involved people or animals who prevailed over cruel treatment: standing up to racism and freedom, the abused horse adopted by a kind master; or Oliver Twist, the orphaned child who was rescued from Fagin’s gang of thieves. These events showed the resilience of people who have been treated unfairly. When I was 12 and working at my first job at an ice cream shop, real injustice occurred in my world. I was accused of stealing $300 from the cash register. I was shy and quiet, and easily embarrassed. I had never stolen any money, but I was intimidated into taking a polygraph examination. My employer demanded it and, anxious to clear myself, I agreed to it. I did not know at the time that polygraph examinations are not …show more content…
The machine went crazy. I clearly remember the examiner jumping up from the machine and yelling, “you took that money!” His certainty convinced even me, because after all, he was an authority figure. He must know the truth. I had “failed” the polygraph, unlike all the other employees. So, I must be guilty. The boss offered me a choice: quit or be fired. I quit, with the shadow of guilt hanging over me, and continued to feel the guilt until the next summer when, long after I was gone, more money disappeared from the cash register. It was only then that I realized it wasn’t my