The Divide Between
Rights without responsibilities create tyranny. How? The value of rights comes from their dependence on responsibilities. Owning a gun is a right, but the value of owning a gun comes from the responsibility to protect yourself and others. The freedom of speech is a right, but it’s your responsibility to speak only what is true. Deception, as a result, is rightly frowned upon.
Entitlement is the understanding of one’s own rights, without the knowledge of the responsibilities associated with them. Does this surprise anyone? The most common remark made by entitled people is “I have a right to X”. Just look at the Karens of the world…
As I mentioned on Tuesday, when everything becomes a right, nothing becomes a right. The expansion of rights in our culture comes at the expense of what makes them meaningful. What most refer to as a right, is actually a privilege. Confusing these two things explains the majority of the political confrontation that occur. Access to healthcare is not a right. It’s a privilege! Education is not a right. It’s a privilege also! The one who remarks, “Free college is a human right,” has absolutely zero comprehension of the purpose of an education. And as a side note, why do these people typically have hair dyed the colors of Sharpie’s highlighters?
Responsibilities without rights creates slavery. The purpose of a slave is to serve their master. That is their responsibility, deprived of all individual rights. And if the BLM movement hasn’t made it overwhelmingly clear, slavery is one of the primary origins of resentment and hatred in this country.
There’s a harmonious balance between the rights of an individual and the responsibilities which they choose to bear. As these two realities of our existence interact, they produce the values which we live by. So much so that those who live outside of those values are frowned upon by others.
Therfore, culture itself is governed by these same values. In each culture, people have different rights and responsibilities, creating values unique to that group of individuals. Over time it becomes clear that certain values are better than others, contrary to the popular belief of many on the far-left side of the democratic isle.
Ultimately, conversations about values emerge from the ways we decide our rights and responsibilities. The United States declared its independence from Great Britain because it believed the rights of its people were being infringed upon. However, this isn’t unique to our country. The establishment of every culture revolves around what it means to be a citizen: categorized by individual rights and responsibilities.
Sometimes I feel like there is so much noise around these two issues that it becomes hard to understand why such things matter. Deeper understanding comes from reflection, by clearing the noise. Recognizing that rights cannot exist without responsibilities, and the other way around, is something we’ve not emphasized enough. I believe children should be taught these concepts from a young age. Understanding their values and where they come from promotes the growth of their individuality, and culture as a whole.