A Conversation of Rights Part 3 of 3: The Balancing Act of Personal Rights
February 14th 2010 16:32
From the very first vessels that left European shores in search of opportunity and religious freedom to the modern day stories of immigrants who come to the United States of America this very day…
The dream still remains the same.
The dream of living a life of opportunity and freedom to open up the doors of possibility for the lives we are living and the dreams of future generations.
It was with these dreams that our forefathers were able to come to table of understanding to forge out a compromise in the creation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
These documents were not forged from some philosopher or abstract train of thought but were carefully molded together from the blood, sweat and tears of personal experience.
Personal experience of government run amuck through taxation without representation, squelching of the voice of the media, unwarranted search and seizure of personal homes, squelching of religious expression and freedom along with a general disregard to the welfare of men and women who were considered colonists at the time.
In the formation of the nation that would later be known as the beacon of light for Democracy across the globe all of these real life experiences were taken into account with the theme of every American Citizen having the fundamental right to live the lives they choose to live without interference from government.
This was the idea behind the Pilgrims who broke free from the Church of England to have the freedom to practice the religion of their choosing and was the same spirit behind the Boston Tea Party when settlers said enough was enough to lay the ground work for the Revolutionary War.
Men and women have fought and died for these rights throughout American history while another battle has been fought on the homeland without an official declaration of war.
A battle for balance between the radical idea of personal rights and the greater good.
The greater good that exists in an open idea of free speech and the possibility that it can be taken to extremes by someone yelling fire, when there is none, in a crowded theatre and causing damage to the general public.
The greater good that exists in the right to protect our family and homes by whatever means we see fit but also having regard to the extremes of criminality and the danger that exists when criminals and the mentally ill have access to firearms.
The greater good of having the right to live however we choose behind closed doors while also having the understanding that our personal rights do not extend to the bounds of infringing on anothers.
It is through these ideals that laws have been put in place to create a system of balance to maintain our inalienable rights while also protecting the greater good.
Laws that help us live in a diverse society where each and every one of us comes to the table with different experiences and a unique story to tell.
A unique story of how we view the American dream and the path that will deliver us to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
When it comes to the issues of Civil Rights, Gay Rights or Women’s Rights there can never be any law passed or societal code enforced that could ever change the minds of the people set to discriminate.
Discrimination in the belief that every American deserves the same right to discovering happiness in having the same access to a career, a healthy life and finding love with whomever they choose to form a life long bond with.
When faced with a blanket discussion of the fundamental right to these things the ability to agree on the basics is an easy thing to come by.
The place where the subject gets hairy is in the arena of public opinion where shades of gray are replaced with sharp contrasts of right and wrong in a war of attrition that pits the rights of religion against the fundamental rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans.
We get hung up on the definition of marriage in a world where divorce in traditional marriage is soaring at record pace.
A record pace that has created an evolution in the definition of modern marriage which was once a solid institution of religion and the state and is now simply a legally binding document that can be broken when both sides come to the table and decide they no longer want to abide by the terms of the contract.
On the whole, the definition of marriage has weakened but forces are still working feverishly to protect the fundamental definition of this time honored tradition.
When it comes to opening up doors for all Americans to have an even playing field in the rights to marriage there can be no progress by forcing institutions of religion to change doctrine nor can there be any progress by simply saying one personal right is more important than another and the two can not coexist in a society where the definition of marriage is evolving before our eyes.
In this conversation of rights there will never be a point where all sides agree on any issue.
It is our right to think as individuals that make us uniquely American.
With this right we can focus on the things that make us different or we can use the opportunities that come by way of the freedom of speech and assembly to open up the doors of conversation.
Conversation about the ways we can bring it all together to ensure that all Americans have access to equal rights and that we maintain the ability to move forward as a nation to find a better way.
To get more of the story join me on my Social Networking Sites, and Facebook Fan Page by following the links below.
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The dream still remains the same.
The dream of living a life of opportunity and freedom to open up the doors of possibility for the lives we are living and the dreams of future generations.
It was with these dreams that our forefathers were able to come to table of understanding to forge out a compromise in the creation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
These documents were not forged from some philosopher or abstract train of thought but were carefully molded together from the blood, sweat and tears of personal experience.
Personal experience of government run amuck through taxation without representation, squelching of the voice of the media, unwarranted search and seizure of personal homes, squelching of religious expression and freedom along with a general disregard to the welfare of men and women who were considered colonists at the time.
In the formation of the nation that would later be known as the beacon of light for Democracy across the globe all of these real life experiences were taken into account with the theme of every American Citizen having the fundamental right to live the lives they choose to live without interference from government.
This was the idea behind the Pilgrims who broke free from the Church of England to have the freedom to practice the religion of their choosing and was the same spirit behind the Boston Tea Party when settlers said enough was enough to lay the ground work for the Revolutionary War.
Men and women have fought and died for these rights throughout American history while another battle has been fought on the homeland without an official declaration of war.
A battle for balance between the radical idea of personal rights and the greater good.
The greater good that exists in an open idea of free speech and the possibility that it can be taken to extremes by someone yelling fire, when there is none, in a crowded theatre and causing damage to the general public.
The greater good that exists in the right to protect our family and homes by whatever means we see fit but also having regard to the extremes of criminality and the danger that exists when criminals and the mentally ill have access to firearms.
The greater good of having the right to live however we choose behind closed doors while also having the understanding that our personal rights do not extend to the bounds of infringing on anothers.
It is through these ideals that laws have been put in place to create a system of balance to maintain our inalienable rights while also protecting the greater good.
Laws that help us live in a diverse society where each and every one of us comes to the table with different experiences and a unique story to tell.
A unique story of how we view the American dream and the path that will deliver us to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
When it comes to the issues of Civil Rights, Gay Rights or Women’s Rights there can never be any law passed or societal code enforced that could ever change the minds of the people set to discriminate.
Discrimination in the belief that every American deserves the same right to discovering happiness in having the same access to a career, a healthy life and finding love with whomever they choose to form a life long bond with.
When faced with a blanket discussion of the fundamental right to these things the ability to agree on the basics is an easy thing to come by.
The place where the subject gets hairy is in the arena of public opinion where shades of gray are replaced with sharp contrasts of right and wrong in a war of attrition that pits the rights of religion against the fundamental rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans.
We get hung up on the definition of marriage in a world where divorce in traditional marriage is soaring at record pace.
A record pace that has created an evolution in the definition of modern marriage which was once a solid institution of religion and the state and is now simply a legally binding document that can be broken when both sides come to the table and decide they no longer want to abide by the terms of the contract.
On the whole, the definition of marriage has weakened but forces are still working feverishly to protect the fundamental definition of this time honored tradition.
When it comes to opening up doors for all Americans to have an even playing field in the rights to marriage there can be no progress by forcing institutions of religion to change doctrine nor can there be any progress by simply saying one personal right is more important than another and the two can not coexist in a society where the definition of marriage is evolving before our eyes.
In this conversation of rights there will never be a point where all sides agree on any issue.
It is our right to think as individuals that make us uniquely American.
With this right we can focus on the things that make us different or we can use the opportunities that come by way of the freedom of speech and assembly to open up the doors of conversation.
Conversation about the ways we can bring it all together to ensure that all Americans have access to equal rights and that we maintain the ability to move forward as a nation to find a better way.
To get more of the story join me on my Social Networking Sites, and Facebook Fan Page by following the links below.
The Side Conversation
Join me for a discussion of current events and background conversations on my weekly blogs.
Click Here
Facebook Fan Page
Click here
Friend me on Facebook
Click here
Friend me on Myspace
Click here
Follow Me on Twitter
Click Here
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