In this article, we will take a closer look, on the promulgation, evolution and state of human rights in the 21st century realm. Human rights is essential to each and everyone of us living in the 21st century. It serves as our voice in an empeding society that lacks understanding and open-mindedness. It is a mirror that reflects the innermost purpose on why individuals all around the world have an inner desire to fight for one’s rights, and finally, it serves as a dynamic push to convene people in a crusade that will make it testamentary and vivid all around the globe. 

In the context of putting into the spotlight the 21st century people’s view of human rights, we will be taking into consideration the views of 4 famous personalities that shared their own respective speech, address, lecture and talk as to which human right is the most essential of all. 

21st Century Human Rights: The Perspectives

First and foremost, is the point of view of Shami Chakrabarti. She is a lawyer by profession and is currently the Director of Liberty at the National Council for Civil Liberties in London. According to Chakrabarti, in her speech and talk addressed at the TEDx event in London, with the use of the TED conference format and with the topic on “Human Rights in the 21st century”, she firmly believes that the most essential human right is the right of equal treatment under the law.

With this human right, comes the practice of the innermost value of empathy. Chakrabarti believes that empathy has played its great impact in any great civilization and tradition around the world.

Empathy connotes not doing unto others what we do not want others to do unto us, which is generally the golden rule, as well as in thinking of what others may feel if you are in their own shoes. If empathy is practiced, there will be no presence of torture, no afflicted person of slavery, and no incarceration of an individual during a trial, because all of the individuals living in the world love human rights as an empathetic reality. 

On the other hand, Senator Penny Wright of the Parliament of Australia, during her address spoke about the challenges that human rights face in the 21st century, all over the world in the year 2014. Amidst the challenges that human rights face nowadays encapsulated with threats, she believes that the most essential human right, is the right to life. The right to life, in accordance to her point of view is truly important, because it allows every individual to be given the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of life, the opportunities that go with it, and to achieve his or her best version in a given lifetime in individuality. 

The challenges and threats that the right of life is facing right now in the perspective of individuals, is the inhumane and degrading treatment of individuals in some parts of the world, the lack of being given a proper investigation for an untimely death of an individual, the experienced torture of individuals living in some parts of the world, the act of being accused and arrested for a criminal charge without proper judicial process involved, and the loss of one’s child, home, job and liberty because of an accusation and hearsay given to an individual. 

With these challenges, Senator Wright encouraged lawmakers and law enforcers to act on this urgent call of abolishing and eradicating these challenges and threats, so that equal access to the right of life is achieved all over the world. 

On the contrary, Professor Noam Chomsky and Chairman Howard Davies, equally shared a one platform of expression and voice, during their joint lecture held last October 29, 2009 at Old Theater, Old Building in Melbourne, Australia, on the topic that focused on the state and future of human rights in the 21st century. Although they may have shared and spoke together in one event, the two had a different take, as to which human right is the most essential in their own perspective. 

According to Professor Noam Chomsky, who is both a professor and leading thinker professionally, he believes that the most essential human right, is the right to privacy. The scope of the right to privacy can either be dealt with in the aspect of the individual’s family, home and neighboring correspondents. He believes that having a private life is testament to achieving inner peace. 

The right to privacy is the new frontier in the set of practice human rights, as this has been inclusive as well in the online and internet world. Professor Choamsky believes that the right of privacy can never be absolute, because human beings are known to be very sociable by nature. 

Thus, the togetherness that is vivid in the units of families, units in societies and the communities that are founded to be either political or religious, are the main evidences and living proofs of how this right can never be exclusively absolute, to its premise that, everything about the individual should revolve around the core of privatization. The right to privacy in the long run would entail intimacy, dignity and trust within one’s self, in the human being’s perspective, as emphasized by Professor Choamsky in his portion of the lecture. 

To continue with, from the perspective of Chairman Howard Davies, who is currently a professor of linguistics at Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia, he believes that, the most essential human right, is the right to free speech and expression. As a full pledged professor of Linguistics at MIT, Chairman Davies believes that the right to free speech and expression is the liberty of every human being attained, when he or she is given the platform to voice his or her opinions, express inner sentiments, conduct and start debates and lectures and deliver talks that are centralized on a specific topic. 

These platforms and opportunities were equated beforehand to the threat of being arrested or imprisoned because the human individual may be abusing this right by being offensive, aggressive and resulting in the utilization of this highly prized human right. These points of view are in accordance to the lecture given by Chairman Davies. 

In addition to the scope of human rights in the 21st century, is the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This connotes to the individual, the right to have faith and the right to have no faith at all. Believe it or not, this human right in particular, provides the heretics an avenue, to debate strongly over a traditional religious value system. 

In conclusion, on the basis of these four points of view on the perspective of dealing and discussing human rights in the 21st century, the main goal would be centered on the protection of all human rights and freedoms, so that the democracy that we individuals are enjoying at present, will remain free for a lifetime. 

Every individual should firmly believe that human rights are real and tangible, despite the presence of some people on this planet that do not care and protect their bestowed rights as humans. Fundamental rights and freedom as well as the core values that go with it are essential, in the continuous bond of the family’s bind, despite the reality that these are little by little attacked at present. 

War may happen in some parts of the globe that we live in, but the universal language of human rights, remains steadfast and impactful because humans apply, fight and stand up for it with utmost firmness and resiliency. Thus human rights should be upholded as a burning torch that should continue to flame, in the hopes of building peaceful, united, protected, preserved and equanimous humankind in the future and in preparation for the next generations to come.