Human rights contradicting
HUMAN rights is one of the concepts that many governments and NGOs around the world are promoting today.
Their aim is to promote human dignity and allow one to exercise their will power (rights) without fear or favor.
We talk about human rights because as human beings we have a divine will power to do, think, feel and say anything as we wish.
But what we often ignore or misunderstand is that our will power has a potential to suppress other people’s will power.
Let us say their human rights.
In practice, we often unrealise that the concept of human rights is contradicting itself.
It is like a win-lose situation. For instance, if you are allowed to fully exercise your human rights, you will actually cause your friend to sacrifice his/her rights (will power). In other words, he/she loses and you win.
The opposite happens when both of you reciprocate the human rights concept.
So there is no balance in human rights concept. I believe that a lot of issues in the family such as violence against women and girls is because of the conflict created by the human rights concept.
This is especially dangerous when the man is in the losing end.
Remember, the greatest inequality is to make unequal things become equal.
That includes man and woman.
I want to introduce a concept of ‘human responsibility’ as a solution to the problem created by the human rights concept.
What I mean by human responsibility is to do to others what they deserve from you.
In other words, let your actions create room for them to exercise their will power. I am not saying that you will sacrifice your will power. No.
The point is, you have to give in order to receive. That means that the receiver will have to give to the giver what he/she deserve when the process is reciprocated.
So at the end, both of you are happy because no one loses in the process.
I think the society needs people who practice human responsibility rather than human rights.
If only we talk about human responsibility, we will be able to meet the needs of our friends without fear or favor, and at the same time meet our needs, when the process is reciprocated.
Just imagine how life in the community will look like if we practice ‘human responsibility’ rather than human rights.
I believe life will be more enjoyable, smart and healthier because no one will be denied of exercising his/her will power (rights).
The concept of human responsibility has the balance in it.
Ponsie Yasaro, Morobe Patrol Post
3 comments
Well said, Human Rights go with Responsibility. Responsible actions reciprocate the other side of the coin. Every human person endowed with basic human rights enjoys those rights with responsibility unless a human person is insane or mentally retarded and can not take responsibility/consequences of his/her actions.
Concept nicely painted. Human responsibility is the foundational ingredient to lessen the problems of human rights. We should do unto others what we expect them to do us. If we respect their worth and dignity and appreciate them for who they are and what they say, we are expecting the same in return. The opposite is also true.
In terms of Gender Based Violence and other domestic disturbances, women must know their place (or positions) in their homes and societies. It is in the culture of PNG that women must be beaten up if they go wrong. However for those husbands who beat their wives for no reason should face rightful consequences.
Moreover, equality in gender must never be encouraged. It is the fuel that accelerates GBV and other forms of violence. Women take advantages in the concept of social/gender equality and are not respecting their husbands.
Well said, Kotopi Native. In our PNG and Melanesian culture, our womenfolk should know where their boundary stops. Gender equality is a foreign concept, hence, the violence as the cultures clash.
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