Of Rights and Responsibilities
"I have a right!"
How many times have we heard these words uttered, both upon televised media or out on the streets?
We live in a World where we have been taught to consider our rights as sacred.
They can come in many forms... and some (OK - many) of us tend to take them for granted.
Don’t Worry! It’s a Sure Deal.
This could simply be because we have spent so long a time without having to worry about benefiting from something such that it ever being withdrawn from us seems inconceivable.
The ‘right’ to eat is one example of this. When was the last time that we needed to hunt down our prey or grow our food from the Earth so as to eat?
Today many of us work to eat. We have traded off our earlier hunting/ farming roles for that of worker.
Work?! I Don’t Need to Work. Eating is My Right!
The other possibility is that we have lost our way – especially so over recent centuries. We struggle to comprehend that these same things that we consider ‘rights’ also have strings attached.
These are called Responsibilities.
This is the price that must be paid in order to ‘earn’ one’s Rights.
Think About It…
Everybody has heard of the term “Human Rights”.
Human rights are so ubiquitous that they are never questioned…
…and yet…
…have you ever heard of anybody speaking of “Human Responsibilities”?
No? Well perhaps somebody should start speaking of such. There is plenty of catching up to do.
But What is the Big Deal? These Are Still My Rights!
Not exactly.
They are the rights that you claim. A big difference.
Rights and Responsibilities are linked. If the former is the product then the latter is the price.
Expecting Rights without any desire to live up to the Responsibilities entailed is quite akin to a beggar thrusting cupped hands your way and being offended should you not offer a satisfactory “donation to the cause”. Now if you had accepted that beggar’s offer to clean your shoes then the offense taken would likely have some justification.
It is that unpleasant expectation of ‘something for nothing’ (rights for no responsibilities) that is gaining recognition in the form of the term ‘entitlement’.
In Conclusion.
Rights are nice but be mindful and ready to also accept the Responsibilities that such entail. Look around you with fresh eyes. Listen with ears tuned to a new channel. While a fair number of people do more-or-less live up to their responsibilities, you will likely find it easier to pin-point exceptions as they happen.
If more people were mindful then the World that we live in could become a kinder place.
Thank you for giving this a look-through. I would appreciate any feedback and critique that you Steemians have to offer.
Did you like this message?
If so then there are two ways that you can help:
Your feedback really helps me to identify flaws and improve upon the content as a whole!
Since I am follower-impaired your resteem could give this suggestion some of the exposure that it deserves.
And if you didn't like it then letting me know with an explanatory comment why would help open discussion with the potential for improvement.
Sincerely,
Congratulations @pathforger! You have completed some achievement on Steemit and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
Click on any badge to view your own Board of Honor on SteemitBoard.
For more information about SteemitBoard, click here
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPI really like the way you think!
I'm a big fan of Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs where I feel that once my basic needs are met for survival, everything else is gravy. And in every aspect of our life we have certain wants/milestones/goals, all in pursuit of self-actualization. It's realizing we are gifted in some areas and in need of serious work in others but always striving to be a better person. Well, that's how I look at it anyway. I try to stay away from any sense of entitlement too. Who am I to demand anything? I'm just happy to be alive, healthy, fed, with a roof over my head. :D
Thank you @merej99, not only for the encouraging comment and upvote, but also for the great perspective added on. :c)
I too find Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to be a useful point of reference at times. I sincerely believe that species# behaviors shift on the basis of fulfillment of each level - with some species being more susceptible - and evolved (or evolved in a society-compattible manner), than others.
A dog that is not hungry is less likely to act in aggression. Similar also for cats, but a viper may still lash out at the hand that feeds it if given a chance. And even well-fed kitties might hunt birds for sport.
Of course there does exist a flipside of having a need met for as longas one can remember. Taking it for granted is one possibility.
Your verbalized dwelling upon the subject matter reveals to me that you are well ahead of the curve. Good on you. :c) And thanks again for the comment! ^_^
I've never truly thought about this. But, I agree. There is a discrepancy in thought.
Some are hypocritical when it comes to their Rights (it's ok for them, but not others - like free speech in the US).
I've also seen that the society in general may not agree with a Right (like 'innocent until proven guilty' in a court of law).
The idea of taking responsibility for actions and/or being worthy of a "given" Right is quite an interesting concept, @pathforger! Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Thank you @jannell, both for your upvote as well as for the thoughtful followup. :c)
I am a student in the field of consistency. Part of aspiring to consistency inspires a certain vigilance for the 'exceptional'. It also grants me some proficiency in seeing through the narratives that we are fed (for instance, did you know that it would be of elementary difficulty to demonstrate that the sentencing practices of many courts have been and are guilty of inconsistency (upon a demographic level)?).
Being a student of such also has me taking a closer look at a number of the finer points. More often than not I would say that I fail to find a satisfactory answer - but occasionally I do. And then they become posts like this one. ;c)
You are correct. Very often there are sub-sections within any given society that cannot agree upon a right. Besides there being a general lack of understanding of what a right truly is (which can only semi-effectively defined without reference to responsibilities), there are also ulterior forces at play.
In truth, 'anybody' can do what I do. You are no exception @jannell, and I look forward to hearing of the inconsistencies that you may begin to notice. :c) Just remember - its alright for there to be inconsistencies - but it does not hurt to 'solve' them. ^_^
Thanks for your ‘mindful’ post :)
This is such a vital subject that can never go under appreciated.
Each time we make a decision to step into any endeavour is a great time to quickly survey the ‘field’ of the proposed idea so to speak. Within this though, a free spirited adventurous attitude is wise to project.
The Native Americans used to pick a green and leave 2 more so there was always twice as much left as there was taken. They gave thanks and enjoyed receiving by enjoying in joy these abundant ‘gifts’.
Appreciation & Respect for our ‘Living system or Mother Earth is vital, she is our total support and must be recognised as such ............................ the actions and implications of not doing so are obvious all around us.
Cease watching TEL LIE Vision and turn newspapers etc into ‘good’ news via compost and sheet mulching for future garden gifts.
Life is simple but if one slips into a ‘CONsumer’ mentality then the hard unwise road is chosen.
To be ‘respondable is to be ‘responsive’ in knowing that our actions are mindful ones and that it is ok to re-adjust our settings if signs arise to do so via undesired results or in many instances, greater opportunities that seem to ‘magically’ open up ................................. these are all of our responsiveness and actions thereafter and so on.
Life is fun if it is allowed to breathe free and easy. Guilt & fear are programs we have taken on throughout experience unawares and after a time these programs are triggered via circumstances and over ride our vital need to just see that they are signs of Responsibility offering us gifts and to enlighten us to unneeded BE LIEve systems. BE the LIE no more and truth will always smile.
Wow @harrysummer! Where do I even begin?
Firstly thank you kindly for submitting such a 'mindful' and extensive reply. :c) Oh, and welcome to Steemit!
Many of the things that you mention ring true and I especially enjoyed your sharing the native americans' ways (of which I am mostly ignorant). It does seem that they had a healthy and wise relationship with the Earth.
The puns were sans ational also. ;c)
I admit that I will need to re-read your comment in the morning - as I feel that a fresher mind will garner even more. In short, an awesome comment!
Oh! Since you're new here, here is a post that you will likely find helpful. You are already on the right track. ^_^