by Neil Licht

Created on: April 15, 2008

Ask me what constitutes human rights as a Catholic, a Jew, a Protestant a Muslim or any one of many religions because I am of that religion. Ask me as an Iranian because I am, Ask me as a Southerner because I am. Ask me as a Westerner because I am. Ask me as a (fill in the blank) because I am.

Every single answer will be quite different because of the cultural and religious beliefs inherent in the group answering the question. History of a region, "church" "state" define outlooks on human rights, not any organized international body that has drafted the definition.

Can there be a universal definition of Human Rights? Not really because so many cultures in our modern world value both Human and rights in drastically different ways. If females have no rights because my beliefs and those of my nation have said so for centuries, does a woman have any human rights in my "territory" of the globe? Does it change because of an international declaration saying so? Thats only one of many examples of why we can not really get to a global definition of human rights.

Its both hard and sad to realize this fact as a fact. Yes, we can document many human rights rules that have been adopted and signed by many countries. Is it law or enforceable?

I would like to believe that my absolute right to life, food and shelter is a guaranteed human right. Preventing me from obtaining these basics is a violation of human rights. So lets consider that as the core of what constitutes human rights for discussion. Now comes the dilemma.

If a dictatorship is the civil rule but everyone is assured a minimum guarantee of a right to life with murder being a crime and punishable by death, everyone is guaranteed a daily ration of food that can keep each of us very healthy and we are all guaranteed a comfortable place to live, is that a society where human rights are the rule? Remember, that society offers no political freedom nor the right to protest or even self assert. But, everyone is healthy, well cared for and lives in a comfortable house.

Its not really a question with a universal answer is it? Human rights are a belief system, not a universal system at all.

So what constitutes human rights? To be continued...or should i say argued over, fought over, evolved as cultures in our tiny globe clash, conflict, communicate, connect, generations change and we slowly compromise

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