Human Rights

            One of the most frequently heard concepts in modern social and political discourse is human rights.  In fact, there is sometimes widespread disagreement about the actual meaning of this term.  I find it frustrating to think that in the year 2015 we, as a community of nations, have still not formulated or recognized a single declaration of human rights.  How can we protect and preserve our rights if we lack a clear understanding of what these rights entail?  I mean a declaration of human rights irrespective of nationality, religion, gender, or social class.  I suggest the following as the three most basic human rights:  The right to food; the right to health care; and the right to privacy.

            First of all, no person should be forced to be  hungry.  We live in a world that despite rising populations still manages to produce more than enough food to feed everyone.  As a simple exercise, think about all the food you waste during the course of a week.  And I am going to assume that you are not a wealthy person!  Now imagine if, instead of throwing this food away, you were somehow able to provide it to some other individual who needs more food.  Now, I am not suggesting the it is our responsibility individually to provide food to the hungry; it is a moral responsibility, but not a practical way to solve the problem of hunger.  No, instead, I propose that governments ensure that there are facilities for feeding the hungry.  Frankly, I don't care what it costs.  Furthermore, when drought or famine strikes a nation or region, other, wealthier, luckier nations must immediately help ease the suffering from hunger in these regions.

            Secondly, once everyone has been fed, we all deserve the information, the medicine, and the care we need in order to maintain our health.  No one should suffer from preventable illnesses; no one should be forced to endure pain from accidents; no one should be forced to choose between medicine and paying the rent.  How can a nation claim to love its citizens if a large percentage of them cannot afford to pay for health care?  Look, I am not talking about hair transplants, liposuction, or in vitro fertilization.  I mean access to health care professionals in order to prevent, cure, or manage illness and pain.  Once again, the cost doesn't matter; how can we justify spending trillions of dollars on weapons when poor children die from diseases that can be easily cured and prevented?

            Finally, I realize that, had I written this essay ten years ago, I would not have even considered the right to privacy as a significant human right.  Over the past decade, however, I have come to see that we all face a dangerous environment in which nothing we do as individuals can be said to be private.  We hear stories about our phone conversations, our internet searches, and even the television programs we watch being monitored

 and, potentially, analyzed.  We should realize that during the average day, we are literally being recorded during  a large portion of our daily lives.  Even our web cams can be controlled without our knowledge or consent to spy on our so-called private activities.  Some people worry that individuals will hijack a webcam in order to see someone walking around nude in his or her house; to me, this is obviously unlikely, since few of us actually do walk around in the nude, and even if we did, it is hard to imagine that someone would go to the trouble to watch this spectacle.  No, I think it is far more worrying that a government, law enforcement agency, or private organization could, can, and do monitor our private lives .  I am not a technical expert, but I believe we  need some sort of electronic "off switch" to ensure our right to be alone and to trust the security of our private lives.

            I admit that a list of human rights could potentially grow into dozens if not hundreds of items.  What we must work for is to find the balance between personal liberty, national and religious beliefs, and the welfare of the majority.  although it is not easy, fundamentally we must discuss, recognize, and protect the basic rights of every individual.  By doing so we will be protecting our own rights as well.

Response 3

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Eleanor Roosevelt


     I spent several years in therapy some time ago, and this quotation reminds me of how often my counselor Would tell me something very similar.  The point is that our self-image is a powerful tool; in the hands of other people, this tool can be used against our own best interests.  The good news is, however, that we always have the ability to control our self-image.  One path to greater happiness is to spend much more time thinking about our own goals and much less time worrying about the opinions of others.  Unless we understand ourselves, we cannot hope to find success in any job or activity.  Once we know who we are, we will listen to others, but their words and opinions will have lost the power to control us.  For me, following this path of self-discovery has been a constant challenge, requiting mindfulness and courage. 

     I am a man, so I hate to shop.  I am also blind, so I rely on the kindness of strangers to help me locate the items I want to buy.  This combination of facts has resulted in a lot of experience with salesclerks.  In general, I have observed threee kinds of salesclerks:  those who are way too helpful; those who are not nearly helpful enough; and those who are
juussssttttt right.
   First of all, let's consider the salesclerk who is way too helpful.  This smiling bird of prey will spot you the moment you enter the store.  He will zero in on you with his sales-claws poised to rip your wallet from your pants pocket.  Typically, he will assault you with a stream of questions that give you no time to interject any questions of your own.  for example:
   He:  Welcome to Pants City!  We're having a sale this week on capri pants; buy two pairs,
     and get a pair of woolen socks for 25% off the original retail price.  Would you like to try
     on some boxer shorts?   You look like a size 38.  Do you prefer solid colors orstripes?
     Me:  Ummmm, I want a pair of jeans.
     He:  Wow, that's super!  Do you want straight leg?  Boot cut?  Loose fit?  Or maybe
     you prefer bell bottoms?  You look like my uncle, and my uncle used to wear bellbottoms
     in the 60's.  Here's six different pairs to try on.  the changing rooms are back  here,
     but don't try to steal anything.  We';re watching you.  Will that be cash or charge?
Usually, by the time he has greeted me, interrogated me, and told me several rather personaldetails about his family life, I have either forgotten what I wanted or have decided to just live with my problems.
     Second, let's go to the other end of the spectrumand consider the salesclerk who is not even close to being helpful.  Clearly, this person haates her job, hates her co-workers, and very likely hates the customers, too.  Her characteristic expression falls somewhere between bored and scornful.  Her attitude makes it very clear that you are a fly in the oatmeal of her life:
     Me:  Excuse me, can you help me?
     She: (Sighing) Well, what is it? (Looking significntly at her watch).
     Me:  I need a charging cable for my Iphone.
     She: (Rolling her eyes) Pfffft!  That model will be obselete in a month.  And we'll probably die soon anyway.
     Me:  Well, if I have to die, I want to go with a fully charged Iphone.
     She: (Yawning) I think I saw something like that back there someplace (pointing toward
     the rear of the store).
When I arrive in the "back there someplace"section of the store, I see six or seven other customers, shuffling around like the walking dead, looking for whatever they wanted.
     Finally, once in a while, we will enter a store and encounter a salesclerk who is just right: helpful, but not too helpful; available when you need him, but not when you want to be alone; knowledgeable about the items in the store, but not interested in educating you about products you do not want to buy today.  Here's how this salesclerk will work with you:
      He:  Hi! May I help you find something in particular?
     Me:  Well, yes, I guess so.  I need some new forks for my fondue pot.
     He:  Sure, we have those. Come with me, please.
(Notice that he doesn't TELL me or SHOW me, but instead he TAKES me there!)
     He:  Right here we have a full selection of fondue accessories.  If you have any wuestions, please let me know.
Sure enough, when I feel a bit overwhelmed, and I DO have a question, my salesclerk is easy to fin.  He knows the store, he knows fondue forks, and he knows how to talk to people.  I leave the store feeling as if I have not just improved my cutlery selection, but also somehow helped the salesclerk fulfill his destiny.
     Years ago, I worked as a salesclerk in a book store.  Honestly, I tried very, very hard not to make it obvious to the customers that I had read much more than they had, and was much smarter than they could ever hope to be.  I admit that whenever someone asked me about a good book, I steered them toward books that I liked.One time I even told a woman that she was making a mistake buying a dictionary for her nephew for a graduation present.I can't say how things worked out with the graduation party, but I know that before a long time I was asked to leave the book store in order to pursue different challenges in my life.  I can only hope that this experience helped me in some small way to be a better customer, because as we know, good customers are the key to good salesclerks.