In the late 18th century, a small portion of the human race witnessed, and even a smaller one took part in, the French Revolution. The movement which seemed to be only an outlash against the evil and corrupt monarchy of the time, paved the way for a much broader change in the timeline of humanity. The French Revolution and an array of prior and subsequent movements brought the rights of the common citizen to the forefront, accompanied by vast complications and challenges. According to the United Nations, "Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more...."
All through the ages, our species has been witnessing oppression, subjugation and discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, sex, religion, etc. Countless souls have paid the ultimate price to uphold the rights of their fellow human beings. People are being murdered for their diet in the "largest democracy," a nation which has a history of mercilessly bombing its own cities and terrorizing its own citizens to subdue a movement which erupted due to its own negligence. We live in a world in which a girl child if denied the right to life , the right to education, freedom of expression and countless other virtues which many take for granted elsewhere where an individual of a particular sex can completely ruin the life of an individual of the opposite sex by means of a single false accusation. The same world is witnessing a new form of misogyny in sports, wherein "certain athletes" are towering over "certain athletes" because they have different sets of chromosomes and different average muscle and bone density and primarily because they have the "right" to do so. The present (western) culture claims to accept everyone yet belittles the freedom of opinion of those which deviate from the mainstream and "cancels" them with "pride."
Slowly but steadily, we humans beings are progressing and suffice to say that there hasn't been a better time than today for the common citizen in the history of the planet. The moral human values are still present today and many people are actively indulging in acts of unconditional love and kindness even though they might not be documented or publicized. Nevertheless, the progress made so far is not yet sufficiently widespread and not at all equally-spread and we still have a long way to go.
It is the moral duty of every human being to support and ensure that nobody is denied of the right he/she deserves and to not abuse any of those rights. However, in today's postmodern world, each of us must often ask ourselves whether we value our rights over what is right.
Moses Rampuia, Class Representative of the 6th semester, placed third in the writing competition with this thoughtful essay.
