There is the constant talk about how each person is entitled to human rights. Another way to say it is that people are entitled to human dignity or a sense of humanity. Many human rights leaders such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Nelson Mandela and Elie Wiesel all stress this essential quality in each person. A notable step in this direction was on December 10th, 1948 when the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. So many leaders spent their lives and careers to stress this importance even though they did not always see results. In many of their lives, they constantly saw people rob them of their humanity in words and actions. Whether it was bold-faced discrimination in the street or subtle in dealing with a bureaucracy, these violations were still there. For the majority of people, they would run out of fingers if they counted how many times it happens in a single day. The question is why does it matter, especially even if it does not affect me? Well maybe not right now, but if one person loses their human dignity, then is it still true that all people have their own humanity? Each violation of an individual’s humanity is just another step until eventually it finds everyone. When systems of power have no one left to discriminate against, they then attack among the “elite” population.
I am aware that I am a white male who has a lot of societal privilege. Many people may ask, how can I talk about this subject? While I do not experience this abuse, this privilege does not make me blind to it. Which is honestly why I am writing this article. I want to make a case for anyone who is and is unaware that these violations occur on a daily basis. Somehow even when people see it on a daily basis, they attempt to justify why it happens, or ignore it. How does this behavior contribute to the world around us? Just generally it leads to a society where some people hear “law and order” and fear for their lives. As another example, certain people are considered immoral for factors beyond their control. Finally, it causes others to be scrutinized because they follow a certain religion or they come from a specific country. It’s no secret that 2016 has been a deadly and destructive year for people all around the world. For a lot of people, it causes them to lose faith in humanity. I sometimes wonder if that would make it easier to take in all of this violence and hate every single day. However, then I think about people such as Nelson Mandela and Elie Wiesel. They had every reason to believe in a bleak world with no hope based on their experiences of discrimination. I think now the question is where do we go from here? How do we start to make people believe in the human spirit and that people deserve this humanity?
It’s a big question to ask and a big challenge to take on. The first step is hard, but that is usually the hardest step. If each person makes the effort to become more conscious of their own actions and words, they can make a small difference. For example, when someone gets on a bus, to go near anyone and not jump to the conclusion that someone means harm before someone gives that person a reason. Another example would be for a person to acknowledge someone’s humanity when someone attempts to deny it or take it away. To acknowledge someone’s humanity each day simply takes practice, but to stand up when its being impeded on is challenging. Sometimes people freeze up or they do not know what to say. One gift that humans have is a brain with the ability to reason. So when they come to this situation they can respond in a thoughtful way. If people think that they got it wrong, learn from the experience and realize that it’s a long process. People may ask, "what’s the point in acknowledging someone’s humanity? it won’t solve all of the problems?" Here’s the thing, it does not need to solve every problem right away. However, it does bring people one-step closer to making sure that all people are protected from losing their humanity. Someone is less likely to have their rights violated if they see that other people think it is wrong. To anyone who has doubts, you are right that it will not solve all of the world’s problems, but it can be a step in the right direction.
