On Human Rights

My first reaction to this topic was that I would have very little to write because it seems so self-evident. If you're a human, you should have basic rights like not being murdered, raped, robbed, tortured, etc. However, taking a brief tour though of human history, I quickly realize that I am of a minority in this belief.

I'm not sure how to put this into an argument, so I will simply work through the development on my values pertaining to human rights. In the process, other moments of self-clarity will arise, and this blog is, after all, about self discovery.

For kindergarten through sixth grade, I attended Tavelli Elementary. Those were probably some of the best years of my life. I had just about everything taken care of for me. School was easy, homework was a breeze, and I had an abundance of free time and friends that went well together. Although I spent much of my day at school, I thought little of the daily routines that would form the foundation of my personal value system. Of the many daily routines at school including saying the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, ensuring we have done our work before recess, and sharing what we had learned with our classmates (yes, we were working on public speaking at 12 years old), probably the most important was the constant reminder of our school motto: "Do your best. Do what's right. Treat others how you want to be treated." These three principles would lay the groundwork for who I would become.

Teachers and administrators at Tavelli always rewarded effort. Success and failure was never the most important measure in competition or challenges. The most important thing what that the kids worked hard and never gave in. To give up was to give less than your best, and that was unacceptable. It was a long time ago, but from what I can remember, every award or commendation I received, I felt that I had earned because I did my best. To this day, I cannot complete a task that is not done to the best of my ability. Leaving something unfinished creates an anxiety in me that would probably get me diagnosed for OCD. It makes things difficult and drives my loved-ones crazy sometimes because I can't stop in the middle of something, but it has also helped me stand out as as dependable coworker who people can trust to put in the necessary effort (something of which I am very proud).

Without a values system to build on, doing what is "right" has little meaning, but alongside our school motto, we learned progressive values. All people were to be treated fairly and as equals. I had a classmate who struggled with a bone disease that kept him in a motorized wheelchair his entire life. (I'm not sure he is still alive. The average lifespan for people with that disease was in the early teens, but I know he made it well into high school.) I struggled to understand why we had to have him involved in everything even though he could hardly do anything. He had to have an assistant get his notebooks, and he couldn't even use the restroom by himself. Selfishly, I always found his participation annoying. However, I had little choice but to play along, as did the rest of my classmates. It was my first real exposure to debilitating illness, and it would take me several years to really start to understand how to interact with people who must live with these hinderances.

The centerpiece of our value system was the Golden Rule: treat others how you want to be treated. Even though I could not see through the eyes of my handicapped classmate, I was forced to acknowledge that he is a person just like me, and deserves the same respect that I enjoy. In fact, everyone does. No physical or mental handicap, no character flaw, and no difference of another person justified treating them with anything but respect. In order to fully understand this idea, I would have to be exposed to more enlightened moral arguments and expand my field of view.

Although my dad had always told me that I need to look at each situation from all sides and try to see things from another persons perspective, I just never found myself able to get inside other people's heads. I still struggle with understanding people (which I why I find psychology so fascinating), but when I came across Rawls' idea of the "Veil of Ignorance," I was able to see things from the other side much more clearly. I didn't need to see things as others saw them, I just needed to see them as I would if I were standing in their position. That may sounds like two ways to say the same thing, but it's not. The first iteration requires the knowledge of another person's experiences, desires, emotions, and senses. The second requires only the knowledge of their position. The veil of ignorance is an argument that requires that the thinker base his decision on a world in which we do not know our situation until after the decision is made. For example: I might say that the system of unchecked capitalism is great if I have become wealthy on immoral business practices at the expense of others. However, I might think differently if I were removed from the world and placed back into another position at random. I would have a much greater chance of ending up in the shoes of a poor wage-worker than back in the lap of luxury. With this take on the world, it is much easier to decide how I should treat someone imagining that I could be swapped into their position and have to live with the short end of my decision.

That may have been easier for me to understand, but many may not agree. Regardless, my value system requires only that I imagine how I would feel in another's situation. Personally, I would like to be treated with dignity and respect in all cases. I appreciate acts of kindness, but I mostly want to be recognized for my achievements. I like to be treated fairly and for people to communicate with me truthfully. I abhor those who judge my character before knowing me personally, and I welcome criticism as long as it is constructive.

With these requests, I see no reason for me to treat anyone poorly based on their color, creed, nationality, or customs; I cannot justify uttering falsities that would benefit myself as the expense of another; I feel obligated to act kindly with all and show appreciation for those who have earned it; and most importantly, I must deal with all people as though they are my equals. Because they are.