Preamble
As we stand on the shoulders of giants and the progress of
human innovation steadily ratchets up the ceiling on the realm of possibility,
human society must vigilantly attend to the foundation on which that innovation
was permitted to thrive, lest both crumble. As we continue to accrue the
technological capital to allow a few in our society to approach a power that
our ancestors would have considered god-like, we have the responsibility to
ensure that even the lowest among us are able to live beyond the means of the
kings of those same ancestors. It is with these sentiments that a call is
issued for society to pursue and preserve a universal dignity for all of its
members.
Tenets of Universal
Human Survival
While nature abhors permanence and no individual being will
live forever, the threshold of dignity cannot be bestowed upon someone who is
unable to survive. Therefore, to support human dignity, these tenets of
Universal Human Survival should be sought first and foremost for current and
future generations.
1.
Clean Water, Air, and Food
2.
Basic Healthcare and Exercise
3.
Personal Safety and Shelter
4.
Reproductive Agency
Tenets of Universal
Human Dignity
To ensure that no person is subjected to mere subsistence or
servitude and that each person is able to experience as dignified an existence
as nature will allow, a mutual bond between humans living in a free and modern society
must concede the following tenets of human dignity to each individual member of
society so long as it does not preclude the survival or dignity of another or
put an undue burden on the society as a whole or the environment that supports
it.
1.
Information and Education
2.
Communication and Expression
3.
Organization and Identification
4.
Mobility and Exploration
5.
Creation and Productivity
The Call
Similar to the physical laws of the universe, human society
must counter entropy with work to prolong the values that we hold most dear. It
is only through persistence of innovation and quality of character that human greatness
can forestall the perils of time. By asking to ensure the rights of current and
future generations, these Tenets do not leave room for waste, sloth, or
pollution. However, where and whenever circumstances and technology permit,
society should endeavor to cleave the tenuousness of human survival and dignity
from unstable economic pressures, leaving only as much linkage as is necessary
to perpetuate the institutions and systems that support Universal Human Dignity.
This is the first section of a longer document I wrote, originally published on the Revolutionary Peace Blog.
