LIFE | POINTS TO PONDER
Democracy, Freedom, Human Rights — The Most Abused Words
Are they practical and living up to their glorified names?
Can I eat them when I’m starving?
Can I drink them when I am thirsty?
Can they warm up my house during the freezing winter?
Can they help me to cool down during the hot summer?
Can I fill them in my gas tank?
Can they help me to take a proper bath?
Or it just shows the moral decay of politicians?
Sugarcoat it for their own political mileage?
All the hardship worth it for the sake of their names?
Am I kidding myself?
What do I get in return as a common folk?
My livelihood is at stake now,
I can’t feed my family anymore.
Democracy, freedom, human rights,
What are their values if no life survives under them?
Aren’t they supposed to give me a comfortable life?
Democracy, freedom, human rights,
They’re so deeply engraved in my mind,
The perceived golden principle in governing,
Have I been fooled all these while?
Or they should be tweaked to live up to their true meaning?
Or they’re not being played to their true meaning?
How could they cause more harm to me if they’re true?
Political perception is a powerful thing,
It drives the political decision and the path forward,
How can these elites make such irrational decisions?
Or are there other unspoken painful reasons behind it?
That forced them to play the game along with?
At the expense of the livelihood of common folks like me.
Or they have been spoiled by their privileged background,
Where they couldn’t comprehend the sufferings of the poor?
Democracy, freedom, human rights,
What and who defines their true meanings?
Must they be standardized in implementation regardless of the culture?
Or they should be modified a bit accordingly so long the objectives are achieved?
After all, we are all different in some ways and why must we fit all into one model?
What is real democracy?
It should bring about a peaceful and stable life without worrying about when the next meal is coming.
If history, and in particular the history of the twentieth century, proves anything, it is that short-sighted policies of governments that lacked the courage or the wisdom to do better have brought about horrible disasters.
~ clingendael.org
What is real freedom?
It should let everyone live without fear of harm by the ill-intentioned when going about with their lives. We’re free to choose what we believe in without disrupting and harming others.
True freedom would involve seizing control of my life and making rational choices for myself and the freedom from interference.
~Arguments for Freedom ‘1999’ by Nigel Warburton
What are real human rights?
It should let everyone have their very basic right to living a decent life without being oppressed.
Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person in the world, from birth until death. They apply regardless of where you are from, what you believe or how you choose to live your life.
~ equalityhumanrights.com
Are they all achieving these objectives?
If they keep producing counterproductive results then they should be tweaked,
Do not let them rot behind the shining pretext for the good of all mankind.
These are my versions of their meanings, what say you?