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What Is A Good Life?
What Is A Good Life?
What Is A Good Life?
Human Rights
Before we go deeper we need to learn how it all began first
At first there were no human rights, if you are with the right crowd your
safe and if not then you not safe.
Then on 539 BC after conquering Babylon, Cyrus the Great decided to change
all of that, he did something drastic that would revolutionize the world,
he announced that all slaves were free to go and that they have the right
to choose any religion no matter what crowd they were a part of. His
declaration was then documented on a clay cylinder and they called it the
Cyrus Cylinder, then the Human Rights was born.
Slaves were free to go and that they have the right to choose any
religion
Cyrus Cylinder
The Idea spread quickly to Greece, india and all the way to Rome. It was
observed that people actually follow certain laws even if weren’t told to,
and it was called “Natural Law” but it kept getting trampled on by people
with power.
Nobody can overrule the rights of the people, not even the King himself.
Eventually after a 1000 years later, on the year 1215 a king in England
finally agreed that no one can overrule the rights of the people, not even
the king himself.
His name was King John of England and a charter of rights was drafted in the
Magna Carta and was signed by the king. People’s rights were now finally
recognized and they are safe from those in power.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that
they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among
these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
When America was born in 1776 during the American Revolution they had declared
they’re independence from the rule of the Great Britain, and on the second
sentence of the US Declaration of Independence it stated “We hold these truths to
be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness”. then the French soon followed with their own
revolution for their own rights and their list of rights were even longer and
insisted that this rights weren’t just made up but “Natural”. Then the Roman
concept of Natural Law had become Natural Rights.
Natural Rights
Of course not everyone was thrilled by this and during the 1800’s in France
Napoleon decided to overthrow the French democracy crowned himself as emperor of
the world. Eventually he was defeated by the countries of Europe, then a new
Agreement of Natural Rights was drawn up, this new agreement granted many rights
across Europe, but only in Europe and somehow the rest of the world didn’t
qualify and instead they were conquered and consumed by Europe’s massive Empires.
But then there was man from india who decided that Enough was enough, he’s name
was Mahatma Ghandi.
Mahatma Ghandi
Led the India to independence and inspired movements for the civil rights
and freedom across the world, he insisted that all human has rights and not
just Europe, eventually even the Europeans started believe in his words.
Led the India to independence and inspired movements for the civil rights
and freedom across the world.
He insisted that all human has rights and not just Europe.
From 1914 to 1945 there was 2 World War, the Great War and the Second World
War, and on the second world war Hitler even exterminated half of the Jewish
population at Nazi death camps, Millions have died and never was the Natural
Rights have ever been violated.
After the Second World War an effort to maintain world peace, the Allies
formed the United Nations in October 24 1945, their basic purpose was to
reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the
human person. Then in December 10 1948 it adopted the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights.
Adolf Hitler
During his dictatorship from 1933 to 1945, he initiated World War II in
Europe by invading Poland in September 1939, and was central to the
perpetration of the Holocaust.
The United Nations
After the Second World War an effort to maintain world peace, the Allies formed
the United Nations in October 24 1945.
Their basic purpose was to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the
dignity and worth of the human person.
There were so many different variations and idea of what human rights should
be, so the United Nations and under the supervision of Mrs. Eleanor
Roosevelt, they finally agreed on a set of rights that applied to absolutely
everyone. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) so now the French
concept of Natural Rights has become Human Rights.
So as implied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has
absolute moral worth by virtue of being human.
And Human Dignity is the ultimate core value of our existence. When we
fully recognize and appreciate this truth in ourselves and in all persons
around us, regardless of their status in life, when we pave the way for a
just and progressive society. It is in this kind of society that we are
able to become fully human--- more free, more rational and more loving.
Human beings become freer when we are empowered to make choices for our
flourishing. We become more rational when we are able to value and apply
the principles of logic and sciences in our lives. We become more loving
when we ensure that human dignity lies at the foundation of our endeavors,
whether scientific or not.
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable
rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom,
justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous
acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a
world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and
freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of
the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as
a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human
rights should be protected by the rule of law,
Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations
between nations,
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed
their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the
human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to
promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in cooperation
with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and
observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the
greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge.
The first seven articles of the UDHR encapsulates the spirit of this so-called
“milestone document in the history of human rights”.
Now, therefore,
Article-I
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are
endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a
spirit of brotherhood.
Article-2
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this
Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex,
language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin,
property, birth or other status.
Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political,
jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which
a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or
under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3
Article 4
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade
shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5
Article 6
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to
equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against
any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any
incitement to such discrimination.
Article 8
Article 9
Article 10
Article 11
Article 12
Article 13
Section 2. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own,
and to return to his country.
Article 14
Section 1. Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries
asylum from persecution.
Article 15
Article 16
Section 1. Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race,
nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family.
They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at
its dissolution.
Section 2. Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full
consent of the intending spouses.
Section 3. The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society
and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
Article 17
Article 18
Article 19
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right
includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek,
receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless
of frontiers.
Article 20
Section 1. Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and
association.
Article 21
Section1. Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his
country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
Section 2. Everyone has the right to equal access to public service in his
country.
Article 22
Article 23
2. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for
equal work.
3. Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration
ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity,
and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
4. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the
protection of his interests.
Article 24
Article 25
Section 1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the
health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food,
clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the
right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability,
widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his
control.
Article 26
Section 3. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that
shall be given to their children.
Article 27
Section 2. Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and
material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic
production of which he is the author.
Article 28
Article 29
Section 1. Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free
and full development of his personality is possible.
Article 30
Human Dignity
Human Dignity is the ultimate core value of our existence. When we fully
recognize and appreciate this truth in ourselves and in all persons around
us, regardless of their status in life, when we pave the way for a just
and progressive society. It is in this kind of society that we are able
to become fully human--- more free, more rational and more loving.
Human beings become more free when we are empowered to make choices for
our flourishing. We become more rational when we are able to value and
apply the principles of logic and sciences in our lives. We become more
loving when we ensure that human dignity lies at the foundation of our
endeavors, whether scientific or not.