‘MAN is born free; and everywhere he is in chains. One thinks himself the master of others, and still remains a greater slave than they’
Jean Jacques Rousseau 1762
It was the Iranians, through Cyrus the Great, who gave us our first universal declaration of Human Rights in the 6th Century BC. Since then we have been trying through a range of religious and legal texts to ‘hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’. This struggle for Human Rights gave birth to a republican revolution that swept across Europe and North America. Yet despite this revolution the world is still impoverished with slavery, oppression, ill health, war and disease.
In 1945, as a consequence of two world wars, the United Nations was established in San Francisco. The Aims of the United Nations are:
To keep peace throughout the world.
To develop friendly relations between nations.
To work together to help people live better lives, to eliminate poverty, disease and illiteracy in the world, to stop environmental destruction and to encourage respect for each other's rights and freedoms.
To be a centre for helping nations achieve these aims.
As part of this work the UN has declared 10 December Human Rights Day and has identified poverty as a cause and a product of human rights violations.
According to the UN, poverty ‘is probably the gravest human rights challenge in the world. Yet, poverty is still rarely seen through the lens of human rights. Many ingredients go into making poverty, but factors like discrimination, unequal access to resources, and social and cultural stigmatization have always characterized it. These “factors” have another name: the denial of human rights and human dignity’. With such a denial how shall we overcome local and global poverty? Can we, as a Human Race, ever surmount such a challenge? If so, what factors should we overcome in our pursuit of Peace, Health and Happiness? This concept may be too difficult for many to realise.
If we are to see poverty ‘through the lens of human rights’ we need to make it and its relationship with Human Rights applicable to all. For those trying to overcome poverty the determinants are obvious: Geography, Demography, Crime and Justice, Deprivation, Education, Employment and Economic Activity, Health and Care, Housing and Transport. If we are to finish the work of Cyrus and end slavery, oppression, ill health, war, and disease we need to eradicate poverty from all forms of human relations. Only then will we be born free, and nowhere in chains, of poverty. For the UN’s Human Rights Day to have a major impact we all need to work as one, individual, community, governments and societies, to realise our commonality: Master of none, but brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers, daughters and sons striving for ‘Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’
Seán Brennan is the Development Officer for the Edward de Bono Foundation NI and works in partnership with Intercomm’s Developing Leadership Initiative CEP in North Belfast’s Interface Communiites.
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I thought I'd log on and try and post this again as it didn't get published last time.
A well written piece, Sean, very inspirational. As such, I would like to make a comment or two. The Mantras of 'unalienable rights', 'Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness', and the call for 'Human Rights' for all are like words in the wind, an off switch for those seeking a real light in a world of deprivation and living in the nightmare of relative poverty. The reality is that the path to equality of opportunity, either locally or globally, is inherent within each one of us in how we treat our fellow man, our neighbour, our friend and even our enemies. Your Blog re-iterates the words of many men, real and/or fictional, from men like Cyrus to Koffi Annan and even in the Bible, the words of Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that Christ said that if we have two coats we should give one to our neighbour. He did not berate the first for any ‘capitalistic crime’ for having two coats in the first place; he simply points out the way that we should use our good fortune to help others.
With all due respect, when you say ‘despite this revolution the world is still impoverished with slavery, oppression, ill health, war and disease’; it belies a lack of understanding of the intrinsic root of human oppression, the cause of inequality and the creation of poverty as a tool within the twisted psyche that is Human Nature. It is within the nature of mankind to outdo each other, to seek power over another, to control and govern. As individuals we do this on a daily basis albeit on minor levels, it is a value base that we find hard, if not impossible to control. If we were to attempt the colonization of a far desolate planet, our first task would surely be to elect a leader.
I fully accept the need to globally address the questions of Human Rights, Equality and the eradication of poverty. I endorse the work of many fine organisations and individuals that work to provide the legal structures that help to guide and ensure governments adhere to their responsibilities in providing their peoples with the basic necessities of life. However within the frame work of an organisation led by the five administrations that are, world-wide, most guilty of Human Rights abuses, I question our ability to create real change without first addressing our own Human Nature within us.
In contrast to your call for commonality of purpose; at this time of year, as we delve into our festive feast of privilege, I do not suggest that we go out bearing gifts to all and sundry, wear sack-cloth and ashes but perhaps use this period as a time to reflect on how we as individuals impact upon the Human Rights of others, not only globally but in our families, our circle of friends, our neighbours. If we are to strive for the pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness, perhaps we should find it within ourselves first.
Many thanks for your piece Sean, it made me think.
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