Rights, Resources, and Responsibilities

Some of us enjoy our human rights, others have theirs denied.

Some of us have access to a far greater share of our planetary resources, others have none.

These resources are not merely material but intellectual and emotional — resources are in theory unlimited and scalable.

Largely by luck of birth we are born into wealth or debt, freedom or slavery, a world of opportunity or a space of great restriction.

Often ignored in discussions of rights, resources and their allocation is the topic of responsibility. Unless we accept our responsibility to ensure that the rights and resources we enjoy are extended to everyone on the planet, we cannot expect to remain secure

We have a responsibility to extend the rights we enjoy to those who do not yet have them. We have the responsibility to ensure that everyone has access to the resources they need to meet their needs. Presently we have a system where we reward the behavior of increasing our own rights whilst denying those of others in the process. This model is born of violence and conflict. It is supported by violence and conflict. Many defend this model as the only one — an ideology sustained through the denial of any alternative.

The foundations of this model have been hidden from our view by history or geography, or have been normalised and legally sanctioned. But veil is lifting.

As dead babies wash up on European shores, we are confronted with a reality we can not ignore. We can seek to blame our politicians, capitalism, globalisation, corporate interests, religious groups. Yet whodunnit is not the issue. The issue is whogonnafixit?

We have a responsibility to help our fellow humans. Our rights and resources — what some might call our privilege, are our greatest assets, but unless we use them to help others get theirs — we don’t deserve them.

Disclaimer: Always a work in progress, always a conversation unfinished, the views contained represent the views of the author at the time of writing and are subject to change.