Basic Rights
I think a social system should provide basic rights necessary to make a decent living. Any system probably will be regarded as the more developed and advanced, the more it can ensure not only these rights, but also can supply the necessary commodities, or means, to achieve a decent life for all of its members. How far did we get on these issue? Are we, in a global sense, still prehistoric and ignorant? Or are we ready to make history?
Labour created much riches, apparently plenty of, for all humans on this planet, but strangely enough, did so only in theory or calculation. Somehow all our systems till now got stuck in spreading the fruits of labour. What went wrong? Are we hesitating on the threshold of triumph, namely of human reason, sympathy, and wisdom? Or, rather else, do we stare at heaven, sneaking on the edge of disaster, maybe bent by deep worship of money, namely of other's most sacred profit? Doesn't our human community urgently need some basic adjustments? Do we need another social system, entirely different to the ones passed on till now? Or can we amend capitalism to a viable system, maybe by some finance miracles, at last?
I suppose, the main and decisive item will be, how we are going to organize common labour. Labour is our way to survive. The only available method we do have and can shape, is, to derive from nature, what we first had created by transforming nature, each within our reason and reach. And exactly this our unique method is called labour. Still, to be able to organize labour in a viable way, we need basic rights to ensure our scope of trial and error, of cognition and volition, of common endeavours.
Though, are we already able to agree on common civil rights for everyone?
Let us give it a try. Later we may discuss on topics like how to achieve these rights, by what means, as well as in what degrees, steps or regions, but first we certainly need to settle our common targets. So I'm going to make some suggestions of examples, just to start debating. True, not a single proposal will be new. New will only be the circumstance, that the addressee is not a government, instead, no one but us. If we form groups globally organized in the struggle for basic rights, we will turn to another society, probably a mature one before too late.
1) Safety and Dignity of Person (both bodily and mentally)
No human body or mind must be hurt, or injured on purpose, or by culpable negligence.
As a consequence death penalty, torture, war, terror, attack, fight, murder, poisoning, mutilation, circumcise, violation, rape, persecution, discrimination, repression, slander, threatening, cursing, mobbing, stalking and alike, all of such human ideas and inhuman practices are to be declared as illegal and must get banned.
Violence shall only be permitted in case of self-defence, or if used by authorized police forces according to a legal assignment. The idea of this issue is, that no one is superior or inferior to another human. Still, unlawful and violent protagonists must get stopped.
2) Right and Duty of Peace
No one is allowed to start war, civil war, or military force of any kind. Every human being is obliged to keep peace.
Since war is an old scourge of mankind, lurking and raging beyond reason, it needs a special treatment. This plague is caused by greed for money and power, disdain of victims, fear and hate of rivals, control over subordinates. It can only be stopped by empowering subordinates to self-control and self-government. Only free communities will declare peace to each other, and shall stop all wars unconditionally, since reason will be back to Man then.
Problems can only get settled by negotiation. If social contradictions are suppressed by war, they will arise again after the slaughtering has ended. Wars end due to the lack of able humans, but not able in the sense of continuing the fight, but instead, able to continue mere life. Yet, bending to an emperor or aggressor must increase problems. As soon as people recover, the old trouble will burst open again, enlarged and sharpened by a period of repression.
So there is not any use in war. War is helpless, like any unreasonable activity. War is not a father of change, nor of development, even if hailed to be the father of all things. War is a forced break in solving contradictions, which ever requires reason instead of force. Force is always stupid, cause it's succeeding the end of reason when facing a vital problem. So, all those pleading for force, are to be recognized as incompetent in finding reasonable solutions, and shall not lead any community.
But how about robbers? What to do, if being attacked by cold-blooded criminals, not bothering about reason, or other's life and livelihood? The reason of robbers is selfish, stubborn and narrow, ignoring to arguments. How to deal with such torsos of a mind, even if they call themselves superior leaders or god-sent rulers?
3) Right and Duty of Self-defence
Everybody is allowed to use violence, including armed force, in case of being forcefully attacked. Furthermore, everybody is obliged to help others in case of a forceful attack, in accordance to her or his own ability, and to the amount of a reasonably assignable risk.
The right to privately possess and use arms must exclude military weapons, explosives, nuclear material, chemical or biological weapons, poison, or other means of mass destruction. Every private use of arms must be reported to the authority and become judged at court. Possession of arms and ammunition must be limited to persons who have a valid gun license, while such licenses need to be refused or withdrawn if the concerned person was judged irresponsible.
But how about nations or communities in real or pretended self-defence?
To reduce and abolish troops and military equipment will depend on the degree, as free communities arise and start trusting each other, while being cooperating according to contracts. Peaceful nations and governments can be included in such contracts and alliances, as soon as civil society grows more powerful than war freaks, beneficiaries and followers.
Nowadays superiority can only show in the ability to achieve and keep peace. Common reason is not easy to achieve, but it meanwhile became unavoidably necessary for survival. Globally seen, human life has no other, no second chance. If not living in peace, we will become defeated by microbes, who might restart life on this planet, completely ignoring, if not digesting us to create another dubious layer of soil.
Those, such as robbers and exploiters, who prefer their advantage on other people's expense, have completely exhausted their historical niche, and are to be taught accordingly, until they surrender to reason and common volition. No way out, but either peace and cooperation, or vanishing from earth. Today, incompetence of rulers is surely the most decisive indicator for the necessity to create self-governing communities.
4) Right of Sufficient Supply
Everyone is to be sufficiently supplied with nourishment, fresh water, clean air, and daylight, if willing to contribute her or his share to reasonably assigned common efforts.
This right shall not be bound to an actual contribution, nor to the ability to contribute, but only to the willingness to contribute. In a rich world, like ours meanwhile has become, hunger is but anachronistic and cruel. Any social system founding on hunger is absurd. Taking advantage of other one's suffering is beyond dignity of man. Free communities can get rid of such scourges by commonly organized labour in a wink of an eye.
In a following step electricity and Internet should reach at least every village or settlement, maybe step by step, according to a common planning and fees-regulation.
Some other examples to start with?
5) Right of Shelter and Sanitation
6) Right of Education (free in the basic level)
7) Right of Health Care and Medical Service
8) Freedom of Mind (opinion, speech, assembly, organization, union, party, religion, belief)
9) Right to Vote and to be Elected
10) Right of Marriage and Divorce (on free will and decision by contract)
11) Right of Minimum Wage (for workers, employees and subordinates of global capital)
12) Right and Duty of Work (of a contribution to community)
13) Right of Justice
14) Right of Personal and Common Property (land, production means, livelihood)
15) Right of Help in Need (in case of age, illness, disablement, disaster)
16) Right and Duty of Solidarity
17) Protection of Endangered Species, Habitats and Environment
18) Something else? Any obstacles?
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UsRulingUs 2013
