Time is infinite, yet for each of us, it’s limited. The story we tell each other is that the planet’s rotation defines the length of our existence. Our planet may revolve around the sun 0-100 times in our lifetimes, or more, depending on where we are born, the lives we lead, and a little bit of luck or fate.
One of the key questions is what do we do with the time that we have? How much of that time do we spend thinking about the generations that follow? Human rights are never static. They are either growing or declining. Each generation has an obligation to sustain rights and advance them. Eleanor Roosevelt said this about rights:
“In each generation and in each country there must be a continuation of the struggle and new steps forward must be taken since this is preeminently a field in which to stand still is to retreat.”
So what can each of us do to continue the struggle for rights so that they do not deteriorate? Through Unite, we can move human rights down the continuum from being unenforceable human rights to becoming enforceable civil rights. People often use human rights and civil rights interchangeably, but there is a significant difference: Often human rights, like those in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are unenforceable in court. The UDHR is a statement of rights people believe they have, but in almost all countries internationally a Judge cannot issue an order to enforce the rights in the UDHR.
On the other hand, civil rights are generally enforceable in courts of law; therefore, what is needed for future generations is to not only proclaim human rigths for them, but to convert those human rights into civil rights that they can actually enforce in court.
On December 10, 2023, Earth had rotated around the sun 75 times since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was agreed to unanimously by all countries – yet it remains unenforcable. Why? This is the key question: Why have the rights in the UDHR remained unenforceable in most of the world, when almost every country proclaims the rights in the UDHR?
We cannot just blame governments; the international human rights community, including professors, human rights organizations, and foundations are responsible too: their false assumption has been that talking about rights is the same as having them. It is not. There has been an inadequate focus of time and funding to further the transition of unenforceable human rights to enforceable civil rights.
Unite is facilitating this transition: you are key. By joining on the Unite globe you are a leader. You are nudging other people, nonprofits, businesses and governments to take the next step and focus on making rights enforceable in the courts of all countries. Not just in a few privileged nations, or privileged groups within nations, but for everyone.
The goal by the end of 2025 is to have 1 million people, nonprofits, businesses and governments join on the spinning globe; and by the end of 2028 to have 1% of the people, nonprofits, businesses and governments on Earth, approximately 8 million, on the globe.
Everyone knows we are more powerful together, yet we continue to travel in parallel, teaching our children about rights, but not genuinely providing them. Please join in an international social movement both to look back and celebrate a plan for humanity and to advance that plan. Act for your children and future generations. Become a light and be a leader, encourage others to become lights on the globe too.
It’s time to act together as the Earth rotates in 2025, so that the rotation between now and 2028 will break the stagnation and deteriation of rights and make them realized for all people internationally, and future generations too!
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