12/20/2025
What Does it Take to be a Human Being
The foundation of Human Rights is that dignity belongs to and is intrinsic to every human. There is no compromise. Everybody is entitled to the same level of respect and treatment under the law and in society.
There is no special treatment for the wealthy or powerful, there is not less respect for the poor. There are no marginalized people, no one can be scapegoated, and everyone is responsible for treating others as equals.
Human Rights does not suggest everyone is the same, it does make the claim that differences are respected. Human Rights is not an economic or political system but requires that all people be free from fear and free from want.
Human Rights recognizes no two people are endowed with equal skills or talents. Their interests are different as are their tastes and beliefs and it is the mix of people working together, living together in this complex world that requires we know, understand, and use the tools afforded us through human rights to build a civil society where people have freedom, but not the right to impede the human rights of another.
Living with human rights requires practice and lifelong learning. How we live with others, even those we love takes effort and hard work. Living with those we disagree with, do not like, or support is even more difficult, but essential if we are to live in a world that is just. Human rights do not insist we all be friends; it does insist that the law and the social order treat us the same, with everyone deserving the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.
Without constant practice, it is hard to make a human rights social structure work, but when it does, living itself becomes easier as it removes fear, greed, hate, and avarice. The things that complicate and corrupt our planet.
Our physical and mental differences, our talents and detriments do not determine how human we are, or the rights we are entitled to. In a human rights world not, everyone will have the same possessions, some will have a bigger home, but everyone will have a home. Not everyone will have a car, but everyone will have access to transportation. A basic standard of living would exist, but that does not limit your potential, it only means you're seeking more will not mean others get less, but they will get what they need.
When people know their basic needs are met, that they will be treated with respect and equal justice, much of the pain of survival can be reduced, greed and hate can be reduced, and an equality of "humanity" can exist, a space where we can recognize and appreciate the differences within our midst.
As the New Year approaches, how we treat each other, our expectations of the future, and a world that aims to meet those objectives is a welcome change from one of violence, war, and death. It is something that is doable, few of the best things in life come easy, work is required. The tools are here; the brain power exists. We just have to want it enough.
