Discuss the values of having a balanced understanding about one‘s rights
and duties as well as acting accordingly
Answers
Answer:
To educate all children to attain a “balanced understanding between one’s rights and duties” would be to educate the best-adjusted generation in history.
Civilization itself is an attempt to balance individual rights and social duties — and although a bare majority has attained some semblance of balance, there are still millions of families in every nation suffering from massive Unemployment and Poverty.
Is this caused by a violation of individual rights, or by a violation of social duties? I propose the latter. Our Public Education System, IMHO, has the duty to:
Teach Small Business principles in all Public Schools to all children, starting with Primary School every year through Secondary School. This alone can orient all children to the artificial Global Marketplace into which they will all soon be thrown.
If we did this, then I predict that in only one generation we’d see the end of Unemployment and Poverty for all practical purposes. The vast bulk of our social and economic problems would begin to resolve – crime, gangs, drug abuse, political radicals – all by conquering Unemployment and Poverty – the source of most social discontent.
At a macro, or societal level, we see groups progressing and developing towards a common good because populations understand their role (duties) and accept the limits (rights) protected by government.
On a micro, or individual level, we are less stressed and anxious knowing that we can routinely rise, go to work and return home having experienced social intercourse based on mutual respect and cooperation.
Rights and duties are closely related and cannot be separated from one another. Both go side by side. These are the two sides of the same coin. If the state gives the right to life to a citizen, it also imposes an obligation on him to not to expose his life to dangers, as well as to respect the life of others.
We construct our relationships by having an understanding with the other. In many circumstances this understanding simply arises without much thought on our part. At other times we carefully construct agreements. A central aspect of these understandings has to do with the ways we balance rights and responsibilities. This balancing is essential for stable relationships. When relationships are out of balance they feel oppressive.
So that one person does not overpower another, and so that we can be clear about how we distribute power, we construct agreements about how we will balance rights and responsibilities in our relationships. The term rights and the term responsibilities are ones that have many and varied meanings, so let's start by clarifying just what we mean by them.
In general, a right is something I think I can expect is coming to me. It may be a human right that I have (or should have) along with every other human simply because we are human. Or it may be a civil right that I have (or should have) because I am a citizen of the community. For our purposes we are talking about earned rights. These are privileges that fall to us because of the efforts we have made to fulfill a responsibility.
There are four different understandings for the term responsibility we explore in the next chapter but, for now, let's focus on the 3° [Interpersonal-relational: perception] definition which relates to the responsibilities we construct in forming understandings with others. When I enter into an agreement with the gas company to have them supply my apartment with natural gas, I am responsible for paying the bill and they are responsible for keeping the gas coming and reading the meter accurately. They have a right to get paid and I have a right to use the gas. Our rights and responsibilities balance each other.
When we are in relationships in which we have lots of responsibilities and not many rights, we begin to feel oppressed. If I am expected to create certain results in my job but I haven't been given the tools or the time to create those results, I am likely to begin to feel that the job is oppressive to me. If, on the other hand I find that I have many rights and few responsibilities, I am likely to feel privileged. If this continues I may begin to expect this is my lot and feel entitled. But, when this happens, I am not covering my share of the responsibilities and someone else is getting oppressed.
When children are young they have few rights and few responsibilities. As they grow older they get more and more of both. In fact, it is our job as parents to support them in growing into adults who are fully responsible for themselves and to fully exercise their rights. As little children they may not have the right to cross the street without holding our hand until they show that they are responsible to look both ways. As grade school kids they may not have the right to go play at a friend's house until they show that they are responsible to call when they get there and to come home in time for dinner.