Human rights.....

Long, Long ago, in a former lifetime, my employer (a public school) had a grant.  Like almost all grants, it involved us instructors doing extra work, while the school admin spent the money on waffle makers, hat racks, and engraved wine glasses.

This grant was for 'Constitution day', and the teaching thereof.  I was told to teach my (Automotive) class about the bill of rights.  "What curriculum material shall I use?"  I asked.  "Here's some crap we stole from the internet.  Just pick something and wing it.  Now, go away. We have money to spend" Said fearless leader.

Come the day, I sat my class down and asked them one question. "Can anyone tell me ANY of the rights mentioned in the bill of rights?"  to which I heard crickets.  "Okay then!  You don't know your rights, so you don't have any rights!  Everyone back to work!".

Eventually, Admin found out about my constitution day lesson, and had unkind words regarding my instructing style.  To mollify them, I used many big-ass educational sounding words they didn't understand, and asked for program things that cost money.  They harrumphed me out of the office pretty quickly.

This came to mind today as I was reading of a whacko lying congress-critter (sorry to be repetitious there) who firmly announced she has the right to say anything about anyone without being questioned, and everyone else would face consequences for anything said about her. 

Clearly, this creature from the swamp does not understand or support human rights.  In fact, I wonder if she even knows what human rights are.  

So I asked myself, being the instructor at heart that I am, "Well Fathead.... how would YOU teach her about human rights?"

Firstly, it must not involve a baseball bat or a taser (sadly) but ideas, concepts, and words.  Admittedly, finding the rights word to convince a congresscritter human rights exist, can be defined, and should be honored.... far more likely I spontaneously transform into a Bolshoy ballet dancer, and a good one at that.

So, let us begin by defining a 'Human Right'.

I put forth the theory that a 'Human right' is a natural right, bestowed upon every human being merely by their existence and their ability to reason.  These natural rights cannot be given nor taken away, as they exist in tandem with the human being they are attached to.  The only way to make a human's natural rights cease to exist is to cause the human to cease existence, as the dead have no natural rights.

Most specifically, no Natural Human Right is 'granted' by any document, government, society, custom, tradition, law, regulation, or indeed by any other human action at all.  They exist, as gravity exists on this planet, and no human action, demand, belief, or agreement can change that.

In addition, I qualify human natural rights by stating they exist in amounts only as that human provides them for themselves.  In other words, a single human has all the natural rights as others do, but may enjoy them only by their own effort, or the effort of those they hire or appoint (if such others are agreeable to the duty).  One's natural human rights do not exist if they are demanded at the expense of another's human rights.   In example:  "I have a perfect right to speak my mind, and all others are required to listen to me".    The answer in that case is a resounding NO!   While a person may have the right to speak their mind, no one else can be *required* to listen as that violates their own natural human rights. A person has a right to speak, but not to be heard.  To have other humans listen is a factor of the speakers ability to gain their attention and expenditure of time.  They must 'earn' the listening, but may not demand it.

To use a time honored phrase, "Your rights end at the tip of my nose".  To explain that in slightly more detail, my rights do not exist at the expense of your rights, nor do your rights exist at the cost of mine.  This concept extends the width, breadth, and height of all human rights.

In addition, we must understand that Natural Human Rights are exactly that..... rights of the *individual*.  They cannot be assumed or assigned away from that individual by agreement or force.  The group has no rights of any kind, whether people chose to exercise their rights as a group or individually.  No group can commit an act of harm or aggression or taking to an individual, and claim they may hide behind their collective rights, because such do not exist. 

Natural Human Rights do not amplify, modify, cease, or become created because of any societal or group action.  They cannot, because they exist solely in the individual.

It is never morally acceptable for a group of people to do that which would be morally unacceptable for any individual in that group to do.

Now, for the really tough part.  Let us enumerate at least the first five of our shared natural human rights.   

1)    We have the natural human right to exist, and exist in the best fashion we choose, and earn by our own labors.

2)    We have the right to speak our mind, in any way or fashion we see fit and can afford the expense of.

3)    We have the right to defend ourselves from bodily harm, coercion, and violence committed against us by any and all who would do so. We also have the right to own the means of defending ourselves against any and all who would choose to do so, as best we can individually afford.

4)    We have the right to the profits of our labor, and to use them to our own or others benefit as we see fit.  While no other individual, group, or society has any right to my wealth, I hold no claim on their wealth no matter my need or circumstances.

5)    We have the right to our own chosen identity, morality, beliefs, and ultimate determination. In body, mind, and soul we are solely and ultimately responsible to ourselves, and no other person may assume or coerce that responsibility from us.

Each of these natural human rights has a bottomless pit of discussion, argument, and contemplation beneath it.   That said, I'd challenge any thinking person to deny these are, indeed, all natural human rights. 

I'd also say that any time in human history societies have allowed these rights to become abridged or enchained, was an evil time where the very few lived at the expense of the vast many and human lives were considered cheap expendable resources.