The human race is a marvel of diversity. The endless variety brings with it great beauty, energy and possibility but it also brings with it some issues that need tackling. As individuals we are immensely different from one another – we look, think and act in our own unique ways and yet – as is now indisputably established by the Human Genome Project – we are one human race.
Our DNA tells the story of both our absolute individuality and also proves our connection to each other. No matter how different we may appear, underneath we are all part of the same family.
So what does this have to do with human rights? Well, before it is possible to define exactly what these rights are, and how they might work, it is first necessary to have a clear overview of why they should exist in the first place.
As we are physiologically all one family and as most of us have experience – for better or worse – of living in families, it might be helpful to look at these massive global issues in a context we can understand – namely the family. Very few of us have experience of international – or even national – politics and diplomacy – but most of us have an idea of family life.
Interestingly, even though there are plenty of dysfunctional families, the fact that we even use this term would suggest that we have – in our unconscious – a shared notion of what a ‘functional’ family should be like. A functional family includes all the most noble and important aspects of human nature and has at its core the idea of oneness and cooperation. Within a family is a microcosmic picture of a functioning social unit. A functional family is a good example of how humanity as a whole could operate cohesively and progressively.
So what would you do if a member of your family was starving, beaten, raped, jailed, intimidated, homeless, persecuted or exploited?
This might seem simplistic but if we look at everyone as part of our family it can help to dismantle the idea of ‘others’ . It also helps to creates the conceptual framework within which we need to work if we are to begin to tease out the many, many issues that surround the application of universal human rights.
So? What would you do?
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So what would you do if a member of your family was starving, beaten, raped, jailed, intimidated, homeless, persecuted or exploited?
Well . . . that depends on WHY.
If they are starving or homeless because they refused to get a job . . . I would encourage them to get a job.
If they were jailed because they broke the law . . . I would encourage them to make better choices in the future.
If they were beaten and raped because they engaged in risky behavior . . . I would again encourage them to make better choices in the future.
I refuse to accept responsibility for the plight of the entire world when much of our problems are due to STUPID choices being made by people who expect someone else to come in and pick up the pieces.
I completely agree with your examples – there is an important distinction to be made between being responsible for someone else’s actions – or even their welfare when they have all the ‘rights’ over the decisions they make – and, on the other hand, having a responsibility towards the general well-being of our world.
When I talk about people being deprived of basic human rights, I am thinking more about examples like small children starving to death in Somalia as a result of drought and war, or women and children raped by conquering armies of one description or another, girls being guarded by soldiers in Afghanistan so they can go to school, child labour, sex trafficking, farmers dispossessed by huge corporations – unfortunately the list is long and sad. And even within these extreme situations real functional human rights would dictate that people be assisted in their emergencies and then helped to not only look after themselves but also afforded the opportunity and dignity of contributing to society as well.
Thanks for making the distinction – it’s an important point overall and something that has come to be seen as the application of human rights. Mistakenly in my opinion – as picking up the pieces for bad behaviour isn’t only unjust to those of us asked to clean up but also insulting to those we let get away with those actions as we are suggesting they are less capable than us.
Well put, especially:
[P]icking up the pieces for bad behaviour isn’t only unjust to those of us asked to clean up but also insulting to those we let get away with those actions as we are suggesting they are less capable than us.
People don’t see the consequences of the STUPID choices they make because someone always comes along and bails them out.
Rights come with responsibilities. Those who refuse to accept responsibility for themselves must forfeit rights if they want someone else to pick up the tab.
What if we took old dilapidated buildings and put people to work to renovate them. Once renovated, people who can’t afford housing elsewhere move in and eat in a communal dining room . . . with healthy nutritious food.
People living in these intentional communities would have to work to earn “chits” for the food and shelter they received ~ mopping halls, picking up litter, preparing food, providing child care to working adults, etc.
I expect everyone would scream . . . “NO. That’s not fair. They should be able to CHOOSE where to live and what to eat.”
Not on my dime, mister. Not on my dime.
If you want choices . . . pay for them yourself . . . don’t stick your hand out in my direction and expect me to foot the bill.