My wife is reading a post on a friend's blog about the situation in Gaza. Mirjam barely made it out of Palestine on October 7 where she was working a performance. Today Mirjam posted a testimony of Hossam Al Madhoun, actor and director of Theatre for Everyone in Gaza. The mood is appropriately glum in the household. 😟
When I'm confused by the ethics of political situations, I find that it often helps to start reading the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It doesn't always help, but it does help surprisingly often. In fact, it's disturbing how often you don't need to read past article 3.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
"Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person."
I use it as a personal guide when I’m confused. Other people use it to bolster their policies, often applying it very selectively – but we don’t have to listen to them.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights still helps me figure out where I stand on certain actions. Some people use it to defend their disagreeable positions but that does not detract from its value, for me. It's usefulness as a moral compass for me is independent of it's use in politics. It's abuse by some does not detract from its value. If anything, it should spur us on to improve upon the framework.
#Human Rights