1 Possibility for Justice
Join those already working toward justice for all.
Justice
Throughout history people have worked diligently to right wrongs and to move toward all people having equal rights and being treated equitably. It is our collective responsibility to continue the process wherever we find oppression or unjust practices. In my previous blog, 3 Requirements for Liberty, I discussed the true requirements as being justice, PEACE and HOPE. In this blog, we’re diving deeper into one possibility to ensure justice for all.
Justice means to receive just or fair behavior or treatment; free from bias or favoritism. We need to find a way to let everybody thrive to the best of their ability. Let’s work together to uphold everyone’s rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, as long as that doesn’t include infringing others’ rights or harming anyone.
The right to life means that nobody has a right to take your life, which means not only should they not murder you, but also that they should not withhold your ability to obtain clean water, healthy foods, adequate shelter and healthcare.
The right to liberty means that nobody has a right to restrict your individual liberty, except for the protection of another’s life. A murderer may be jailed for public safety. A company may be restricted from poisoning public water sources.
The right to pursue happiness means that nobody has a right to prevent you from pursuing your happiness, unless that right should ever infringe on another’s life or liberty. Greedy people pursuing happiness at the expense of their employees’ and consumers’ health and wellbeing are infringing on others’ rights.
Although the concept of individual rights and how to ensure them is complex, the best way to ensure equal rights is through compassion for all. Make choices that align with your vision for your highest good and the good of all, then you’ll feel the rightness of your choice.
One Possibility
It can feel overwhelming to think about what you can do to help ensure justice for all. How can one person make an impact? One possibility is to join others who are already making a difference. Even if you aren’t qualified to work with the entities, you can donate to your choice of worthy cause.
Some Examples
Right to Life - Doctors without Borders - This organization provides medical humanitarian assistance to people affected by conflict, disease outbreaks, natural and human-made disasters, and exclusion from healthcare in more than 70 countries.
Right to Liberty - Innocence Project - This organization has been at the forefront of criminal justice reform, using DNA and other scientific advancements to prove wrongful conviction.
Right to the Pursuit of Happiness - Pursuit-of-Happiness.org - This organization strives to empower individuals with the scientific knowledge and life-skills needed to build happy and meaningful lives, particularly with the promotion of well-being and the prevention of depression.
30 Basic Human Rights
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt continued her passion for social activism in her work with the United Nations. She chaired the committee of 18 people from various political, cultural and religious backgrounds to draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The list of 30 Basic Human Rights expands on the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit by listing more specific rights, such as no discrimination, no slavery, and no torture and inhuman treatment. It was accepted by the United Nations with 48 of the then 58 participants voting for it. My question would be why did 8 countries abstain and 2 not vote? All of the current 192 countries in the United Nations continue to agree that these basic human rights should be protected.
Social Justice in an Open World
The book, Social Justice in an Open World: The Role of the United Nations was written by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs Division for Social Policy and Development’s Forum and was published in 2006. The book discussed the rising inequalities among countries and among people.
The book included three critical domains of equality and equity:
Equality of rights, primarily eliminating all forms of discrimination
Equality of opportunities, which requires stable social, economic, cultural and political conditions that enable all individuals to fulfill their potential and contribute to the economy and to society.
Equity in living conditions for all individuals and households.
The book also includes six important areas of inequality in the distribution of goods, opportunities and rights:
Distribution of income
Distribution of assets
Opportunities for work and remunerated employment
Distribution of access to knowledge
Distribution of health services, social security and the provision of a safe environment.
As you can see, the problems are already known, and many groups are working on ideas to alleviate the problems and to ensure equal rights to all.
Accept Your Responsibility
What can you do to participate in our collective responsibility to continue to improve the ways we ensure the basic rights of all? Notice the everyday inequities in the way people are treated in your family, schools, business and community organizations. Pay attention to social and political discourse in your state, your country and the world.
No matter what political affiliation you adhere to, question their policies. Who stands to gain the most if those policies are enacted? If there is an inequitable balance of benefits and the policies actually harm a significant number of people, make your voice heard by voting against such policies.
You are more powerful than you can probably imagine. As Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Stand up for your rights and the basic human rights of all.
Going Deeper with the 3 Requirements for Liberty
In the next two blog posts, I will discuss the requirements for liberty in more depth.
5 Steps Toward PEACE
Practice PEACE with those already promoting world peace.
4 Aspects of HOPE
Learn to live with HOPE every day.