Again, for Wright these "signposts" point us toward our human vocation, what humans are supposed to be doing on this earth and with our lives.
We feel in our bones that we should seek justice, that we should create a world that is fair and just. As Wright writes:
We all know that some things are fair, and some are not. Children know this without studying moral philosophy. When a country signs a treaty and then breaks it, we know it matters. If people think a criminal has 'got away with' a ridiculously light sentence, the hunger for justice may lead to vigilantism.The signpost of justice suggests that our vocation is involved in seeking, establishing, and restoring justice. And yet, this signpost is also "broken." How so? Wright continues,
Here is the paradox: how can something we all know matters so much be so hard to attain? We can't do without justice, but enacting it on a small or a large scale is harder than we might imagine...Though we all know [justice] matters, we all find it difficult--sometimes, it seems, impossible. Is this not paradoxical?We thirst for justice. We want it. And yet, it's so elusive. And so many times our quest for justice can end up creating more injustice.
Justice is a broken signpost. Justice point us toward our vocation, but in its brokenness tells us that we need something "extra" to get this justice thing all finally sorted out.
