Today, December 10, 2008, is Human Rights Day. It also happens to be the 60th Anniversary of the first Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Justice. Fairness. Equality.
No doubt you agree that every person deserves each of these fundamental rights. But how deeply do we believe? Are we simply, "Those people deserve justice, fairness and equality, and doggone it I hope they get it!"
No doubt we think we personally and the United States are strict observers of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. What about this one: "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" or "Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal" or "As soon as a person is legally entitled, he or she has the right to marry and have a family"?
Is violence acceptable justice?
Is willingly sustaining an economic system that relies on paying below subsistence wages or exploits workers morally any different than "No one shall be held in slavery or servitude"?
Today is a good day to contemplate China, Darfur, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and others. It's also a good day to consider whether we consider the person next door our equal and the person across town and the person across the world. How do I behave if I truly believe they are my equal, if I love them as much as I love myself?
Will we revolt against our own culture? Will we join a true Human Rights revolution?
