Do We Have the "Right" to do "Wrong"?

Salaam (Peace) to all.

In the wake of the Historic Election of a Black Man to the Office of the President of the United States, many conversations are going on about many different topics -- some dealing with race, some dealing with politics, some dealing with the economy, and others.

One of these conversations that has caught my attention lately has been dealing, in a general sense, with the issue of "civil rights"...which is just another name for "human rights".

Naturally, everyone wants to know that their rights as a human being are safe and secure from suppression and invalidation, for these rights are the basis for the Survival and Happiness of Humanity. But, what, exactly, is a "right"? What MAKES a "right"...a "right"?

In the Declaration of Independence of the United States, it states that "all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights..."

Thus, from this statement, it could be inferred that human rights have their Origin and Justification in "The Creator" and in the Nature in which He Created "all men".

Simply put, human "rights" are determined by our Natural, Human NEEDS -- those things that Man naturally requires to secure his survival and his continuation as a Species.

Every Human Being has a Natural Need for "food, clothing and shelter"; therefore, every human being has a Natural "right" to "food, clothing and shelter".

Every Human Being has a Natural Need for "Truth" (Knowledge, or Education), and for Expression; therefore every Human Being has a "right" to "Truth" and freedom of "expression".

However, these RIGHTS must be tempered with RESPONSIBILITY. Not only do I have a "right" to that which is necessary to my survival as a human being, but I also have a "responsibility" to NOT infringe upon another's right to the same!

Not only do I have a "right" to seek that which is necessary to MY survival, but I have a "responsibility" to contribute to, and look out for, the Survival and well being of the Community to which I belong.

As Being of Free Will, I have the "freedom" to do many things, but I do NOT have the "Right" to do all of the things I have the "freedom" to do.

I do NOT have the "right" to lie, cheat and/or steal.

I do NOT have the "right" to injure or murder an innocent person.

I do NOT have the "right" to destroy another's property that contributes to his well-being and the well-being of the Community.

I do NOT have the "right" to cheat on my wife...just because it "feels good" at the time.

And, in Truth, I don't even have the "right" to allow a crime to be committed in my presence when I have the ability to oppose it.

I may have the "freedom" to do these things, by virtue of my "free will" and the lack of physical constraints to stop me; but I do NOT have the "right"; because all of these things are threats to my survival and to the survival of my community - the Human Family.

In short, I don't have the "right" to do "wrong". ...None of us do.

Unfortunately, many of us have lost clarity of vision and morality, and have allowed others to dictate "gray areas" for us wherein "Truth" is no longer the standard by which we measure "right" and "wrong"; but "convenience" has become the standard; and as a result, the whole concept of morality has been taken away from "what is necessary for the survival and perpetuation of the Community" to..."what is convenient for the comfort of the individual, regardless of the long range consequences". Such corruption opens the door to anarchy and collapse of the society. Such is the way to self-destruction and/or Divine Chastisement from the "Creator" who Established for us our "Rights" and is watching us use them as a "justification" to do "wrong".

I hint to the wise is sufficient.

We secure our "rights" by standing up for what IS "right".

RM