I rarely understand Gabby's comments and this thread is not exception. Ash, I agree with your idea, it begins with a spark in us, and moves out to our family, community, society, world...
On Feb 3, 11:47 pm, Ash <[email protected]> wrote: > I congratulate your dedication Molly, after reading a few pages of the > Universal Declaration of Human Rights I got too caught up in pedantic > philosophical matters to finish some time ago! > > "Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of > the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement > and its benefits." > > To me this indicates the thinking, or at least the thinking they want us > thinking of the thoughts of the governing boards at UN. ;-) What type > of people do we want society to produce? What type of society do we want > people composing? Obviously a more united population who can interact > and cooperate is more productive in terms of creative and intelligent > output, building things, or just doing work. The arts seem good but it > is a hard one, mainly that creative works shouldn't be stifled as > parody, criticism, passion, mind benders, comedy, drama etc exercise the > mind and make it robust and diverse in judging the social/political > environments. It seems that to 'share in scientific advancement' means > the process of gaining and collaborating scientific knowledge because > 'benefits' would be the products- in that case we want educated and > intelligent populations in order to drive society toward greater > achievements. This makes sense to me and I agree with the unstated ends > it implies. I saved the 'freely' for last, at first it sounds like 'free > of coercion into or disenfranchisement' but it further implies (to me) > the responsibility of society to promote these capacities in their > constituents. > > On freedom, emancipation, liberation I think we should consider what > things promote or hinder the healthy mind+body+spirit. Ask many older > people and they will tell you if you have health you've got it all, so > lets take a clue that physical health frees the mind from physical > torment that is a type of freedom or greater mobility. If the mind isn't > stuck or tormented but creatively inspired and charged with knowledge > that is a type of liberation. If we have something to ignite our > spirits, a primal impetus, great hope/work or 'vision' the spirit can be > emancipated. Okay, enough from me I'll just say: A unifying vision for > any human is seeing this paragraph in action. Or one could argue we > haven't had enough horrors to demand it of ourselves (or have we?)... > > On 2/2/2011 6:43 AM, Molly wrote: > > > > > > > > > The United Nations has a declaration of human rights that states in > > the preamble: "This Universal Declaration Of Human Rights as a common > > standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end > > that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this > > Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education > > to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive > > measures, national and international, to secure their universal and > > effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member > > States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their > > jurisdiction." > > > It has 30 sections, and the 27th states: "Everyone has the right > > freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy > > the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits." > > > This got me thinking about what it means to participate in life. > > Certainly, it means different things in different spots around the > > globe. And, I can appreciate the United Nations boldly stating the > > ideal for humankind that includes freedom and choice. But I wonder > > what it really means to participate in life, especially since in my > > current life stages, I have given up the ideas of goals and long term > > plans and surrendered, for the most part, to the calling of the > > moment. > > > I say this with the understanding that what calls me in the moment is > > a direct result of my life's work, my faith and my internal > > environment (thoughts, feelings, relationships, attitudes.) This is > > to say that we never come completely fresh to each moment, we come as > > we are. Yet, it seems to me, how we present ourselves to each moment > > allows possibility for change, growth, freedom, love... > > > What do YOU think?
