The Solution Is Not the Universal Declaration of Human Rights!

Humanity has built a strange world and is struggling within it. As Fidel Castro also expressed, some are condemned to unhappiness so that others may live happily. Some have to walk barefoot so that others can ride in luxury cars. Some dedicate their short lives to others so that those others can live long and healthy lives. Some have to struggle with poverty so that others can taste wealth.

In a place where the majority is unhappy, the happiness of the minority is actually not possible. In a world built on inequality from the very beginning, no one can find peace. But the root causes of this unrest are not being questioned as they should be. The happy and powerful minorities are in a fierce struggle to maintain their positions, while the unhappy and powerless majorities are struggling to improve their conditions. Therefore, it is a world where everyone, happy or unhappy, powerful or weak, is restless. Almost the entire history of humanity consists of wars, occupations, massacres, epidemics, and oppression.

And then, those who play the leading role in making the world such a devastated place come out and try to put humanity in order by using certain concepts that do not exist in their own literature, such as peace, equality, rights, and law. I think the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted and put into effect by the United Nations on December 10, 1948, should be viewed from this perspective as well.

It may be a text prepared with good intentions at its core. Eleanor Roosevelt, who led the preparation of the declaration, describes it as the Magna Carta of humanity. Expressions such as the necessity of protecting and guaranteeing the fundamental rights and freedoms of all people, and that no one should be subjected to discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, etc., are of course important for a more humane world. However, when it comes to the implementation part, it is clear that this protocol, which almost all states have signed, is not very useful.

Is the America that led the declaration not the same as the America that led the massacres in Vietnam? The Universal Declaration of Human Rights still maintains its validity, but the waters in the Middle East never seem to calm down. The massacres in Iraq with America as the lead actor, the chaos created in the Middle East under the pretext of bringing peace and democracy and the deception of the Arab Spring, and many more like these.

The problem is big, but this is not the solution. It is futile to expect the actors of the problem to develop the instruments of the solution. Moving from a world built on inequalities to a world based on the principle of equality is very difficult, but not impossible. A visionary understanding is necessary. It is clear that solving the problem with top-down rules will not be possible. The solution to the problem needs to start sincerely and from the grassroots.

A person's right to life is not granted by another person. Every human being born into life should naturally possess the fundamental rights and freedoms to remain in life and sustain their life. But for the system to function this way, every individual must be aware of this reality. Therefore, awareness needs to be created in people regarding their own rights and freedoms.

It is important for a more humane world that a person is conscious of being human and develops awareness. For this, every individual born into life must be raised with the consciousness of being human. It is important to develop this understanding at all stages of the socialization process, starting from the family environment into which they are born. From infancy, a person must be equipped with the competent qualities and skills to build and manage their own life with their intellectual, emotional, and physical structure.

For an individual to become the subject of their own life, to be able to organize and manage their own life, it is necessary to provide opportunities to develop self-confidence, self-respect, and self-worth from infancy. Self-confidence, self-respect, and self-worth activate the individual's potential energy for production and creation. The energy of production and creation is a necessity of being human. As a human being feels the pleasure of contributing to and adding value to the life and world they are born into, they also become aware of being human. This awareness enables them to shape their relationship with the world they are born into more confidently, more freely, and most importantly, with more enthusiasm.

A person who produces and creates is self-confident and has self-respect. A person who produces and creates also shapes their relationship with other people around them based on respect, trust, production, and creation. This forms the basis for the development of impulses of cooperation, sharing, togetherness, and equally proportional interaction among people instead of impulses of competition, superiority, and dominance.

The fundamental characteristics that make a human being human are their mind, emotion, and soul structure. Their capacity for production and creation is also due to these characteristics. A human being becomes aware of their humanity as they produce and create. Only a person who produces and creates can become free and develop feelings of self-confidence and self-respect. A more humane world cannot be expected from a person who does not produce, does not contribute to their own life and the world they are born into, or is not aware of the contribution they make, and therefore is not aware of their own potential and competence.

In that case, the solution for a better humanity and a more humane world is not to hope for help from those who hold the power, but to contribute to the development of conditions that will ensure every person is raised as a conscious individual. For this, all relevant actors in society, from the family to educational institutions, non-governmental organizations, and intellectuals, must take action, and all instruments must be used correctly and consciously.

The solution for a better humanity and a more livable world is the raising of conscious people. Instead of expecting a solution from the actors of the problem, it is most correct to provide suitable conditions for the victims to become conscious.