These weekly blogs serve as an explanation of what Unite for Rights stands for. Here’s a key part: Unite is independent. Unite does not support any political party, for example, republican, or democrat in the United States, or in any party in any other country. Unite stands for dialogue on fundamental issues that concern people in all countries, like climate change, equality for women, health care or free speech. Unite talks about issues, not about parties.
I, as an American citizen, do not belong to either the democrat or republican parties – I am independent. I care more about the issue being discussed than the position of any party upon that issue, or any particular candidate.
While Unite focuses on dialogue regarding issues, it also moves to take action through the creation of an International Bill of Rights by people, nonprofits, businesses and governments that would actually help to bring about solutions for many of the pressing problems that people in all countries face.
One of the things this blog seeks to accomplish, is to pass on other movements besides Unite that are also focusing on issues rather than on parties. An example of this is the newly formed, nonprofit organization, with a video you can click to see here: Represent Us
Represent Us is a social movement, and the video on their site explaining how much of the corruption in the American political system can be removed is worth your time. At its root, it calls for changes in law.
Represent Us urges that action be taken at the state level, and shows how changes in state law can be used to create change at the Federal level as well. They are right, and I have joined long with making a contribution.
It’s important to recognize that changes at the national level can also be made with changes in law at the regional or international level. The European Court of Human Rights, African Court of Human and People’s Rights, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights are good examples of how corruption can be reduced at the domestic level with Regional Court decisions.
Both Represent Us and Unite for Rights are movements. Movements are needed in both directions: down to the state and local, and up to regional.
A good friend of mine, an emergency room doctor, has asked why participate in a movement when there are other, more direct ways of fixing societal ills such as assisting in food programs? It’s a good question. I have a short story to answer:
- There was a town by a river and one day bodies started floating down the river, some injured and many of them dead. The people in the town were caring and immediately started pulling bodies out of the water. The bodies kept coming so they started building facilities by the river so they could help more people effectively. One day, as a young woman was helping others to pull a body out of the water, she looked up and said “we should continue to pull these bodies out of the water, but shouldn’t somebody go take a look upstream.
Unite for Rights is for the millions internationally who are ready to go upstream. Unite only seeks 1% of individuals, nonprofits, businesses and governments to participate in the “Drafting Through Dialogue” process – those who have the imagination and courage to go upstream.
This does not mean that people should stop assisting food programs! Unite for Rights supports 99% of all energy and money going to immediate needs to get the bodies out of the river from violence, discrimination and war, but it also calls for 1% to take the trek upstream and create an International Bill of Rights which will dramatically reduce the flow of bodies downstream.
And as we go upstream, we do so independently, in a collaborative manner based on our common interests, not parties or particular politicians.
There’s another reason why it’s good to participate in a movement along with direct actions: there are some things you can only achieve with others, and not on your own. The Represent Us video makes a convincing point that a movement is needed to increase collective clout to where policy changes are made. This is true of Bills of Rights. The framers of the United States Constitution voted unanimously against a Bill of Rights, and it was only when the people insisted on it that it was added, and the Constitution passed. It’s time to be insistent again.
Certainly taking action to get the bodies out of the river is an exercise of personal power, the most important one, but without going upstream and engaging in collaborative action, the bodies will keep coming. And it’s not just bodies, it’s trees and other species too. I’ve been lead counsel on cases that have protected some of the largest trees on earth, giant sequoias. Even though tens of thousands of them are protected by winning these cases, now they are dying from climate change – the temperature isn’t dropping enough to kill the beetles that are killing the trees.
The other piece that’s noteworthy is that getting on the globe to show support for an International Bill of Rights literally only takes one minute. Your act creates the possibility that, with others acting quickly, something can be achieved that you could never achieve alone – no matter how rich you are or how much power you have, the revision of our social contract. A Bill of Rights is our agreement to live together.
If people want to spend time and contribute further to the writing of the International Bill of Rights, great! But the most important act is to become a “Uniter” – to join other people, non-profits, businesses, and governments on the globe. This is an independent exercise of personal power.
Einstein said: “The problems of the world don’t exist because of the evil people, but because of the good people who do nothing about them.”
He was right, but his insight could be refined a bit further – “The problems of the world do not exist because of evil people, but because of the good people who do not do enough about them.” Providing food or healthcare to the bodies coming down the river is essential – it is doing something- but on its own, it is not enough.
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