Life, liberty and property - Human rights that matter.

Liberty is a major part of our Human Rights Code in that it empowers us to freedom and speech, freedom of association and freedom from arbitrary arrest and confinement.  Freedom of speech is a very important asset for one to possess because without it many intelligent people would never be heard.  There are many people in the world who are not privileged enough to speak about topics that have strong opinions on (namely developing nations, as well as communist countries).  The freedom to speak ones mind is a powerful tool because it encourages a person to become more involved in various issues that relate to them within their community and, on a larger scale, country.

Freedom of association focuses mainly with groups and society’s one is connected: everyone should have the right to belong to groups with appeal and are important to them.  Joining a certain faction helps us evolve as a society in that it is educating people on the importance of diversity (through the people you meet there).  It facilitates people to have a clearer understanding of different cultures whether it’s through such various assemblies as support groups, sports teams and even schools.  If a person is only exposed to one distinct form of human behavior it becomes all they accept as being normal and the variety of issues that a person is expected to speak knowledgeably about will be limited.  For someone not to be able to experience any different aspects of life would not only cheat themselves out of important life practices, but also cheat other people into believing what kind of person you really are (as others wouldn’t be able to get a clear grasp on your personality).  

The freedom from arbitrary arrest and confinement is not only significant when dealing with law but also useful when dealing with human rights.  The fact that law enforcement and other authoritarians are not permitted to force an arrest upon a person with no apparent grounds is advantageous in protecting citizens from feeling inferior and being treated on a lesser level to the enforcement.  Human rights are about fairness, and the shame a person feels when law enforcement becomes involved in their life is immense.  Therefore, it is crucial that there be a level of trust in knowing that you won’t be taken into custody for any unfair reason. Along with the law enforcement getting involved, a police officer makes a person feel second-rate which affects their self-importance and the trust they have for the legal system as a whole.  If such a human right was not in effect, there would be many violations to all kinds of civilians, leading to eventual distrust of the legal system (which defeats its purpose).  Liberty, when dealing with human rights, is vital to possess in that freedom of speech, association and from arbitrary arrest and confinement are fundamental freedoms that deal directly with our daily lives, making them crucial in form an accommodating and cooperative society.

Property owners have the full right to use, dispose of, or in any matter enjoy their own property without interference (until and unless the exercise of their control infringes the valid rights of others).  Everyone has the right to ownership of property and the security of knowing that is theirs and no one can take it away from them.  This human right is widely demonstrated in developed North American countries, but is rarely established in Communist countries, such as Cuba and China, or in developing countries, like Rwanda and Ethiopia (“…different countries are in different stages of development…”).  If someone shows disrespect to the rules of owning property in developed countries, such as paying taxes, then their property faces the possibility of being repossessed by the government.  When applying this human right, everyone is treated equally, which hardly ever happens in today’s society.  It is unfair, however, to know that in Communist and third-world countries, people are unable to own property because they do not have permission from the people with political power of they just are not able to afford it.  To be able to live in our country and feel distinguished as a human being, it is as though our property rights are a sign of the hard work and time away from people you care about in order to achieve your property.  Owning possessions makes one feel like a real person; you are able to get what you want with the money you have individually earned.  Everyone should have the right to own property because not one person owns a territory or country – we all live on this earth together and that entitles us to purchase our own property without any interference.  When someone is able to own property, they are able to feel gratified because they are doing what they want with their own money, instead of feeling that all of their dedication and hard work has gone towards nothing significant.  Although this is unfortunately not the case in all parts of the world, we as human beings will eventually evolve as a group to the point where everyone is the same boat (making property rights even more important).

It is a common observation that human beings everywhere demand the realization of diverse values to ensure their individual and collective well-being.  The rights most necessary for humans to achieve their potential and live with dignity are absolutely life (race, religion and gender), liberty and property.  The idea of human rights is nonetheless endured in one way or another which is good because anything that one person does can affect someone else in a particular way.  All of these components affect our individual lives greatly and, in one way or another, affected all human beings around the world and helped emphasize the importance of human rights in many different groups of people, therefore, allowing us to “…realize a particular vision of human dignity and potential”. As Rosalie Abella wrote in her article, From Civil Liberties to Human Rights:

“It is to appreciate that the social orchestra, conducted by democracy, sounds best when it is harmonious.  The sounds blend, they do not merge.  It is a symphony, not a concerto.  All the players expect to contribute to the melodious whole, and are independent sound based on understanding the unique value each different instrument brings to the orchestra.  It is a sound we must never stop trying to achieve”.

It is crucial that all the elements spoke of above (life, liberty, property) come together in order to accomplish the goal.  It is with that togetherness that we will come together and achieve what Jack Donnelly, and us as a society, long for.