Ten of Hearts

I often ask myself, was right a privilege? Sure, people will tell me that if our society doesn't establish "rights", definitely the defenseless will be exploited, anarchy rules. If that' the case, we will have a lawless society. Rules are made for everybody's benefit. It concerns us all. Therefore it is wrong to violate someone's rights. May I ask you another question. Let's say a person who owns a property, particularly land, have his property used by some people who doesn't own it, would you consider it as a violation made by the latter? Now these people, after being given a notice to evacuate, still didn't mind continuing occupying the said space, can they raise they're right of settling in that area? I don't think so. I am not an elitist, people who knows me that I was living in a depressed area, only that my grandparents and my parents worked so hard just to provide us with a quality way of living. I do have connection with those people since we both shared the same street, the same dilemmas and the same fun living and growing under the same situations. But would it be right to occupy somebody else's property? What if the owner acquire the said lot through his hardwork, isn't squatting the same as stealing? As far as I know, people from the squatters area originally live in provinces. Provinces which lands should be cultivated and are also the original source of our country's wealth. Those people think that it is really easier to live and be rich in Manila so they migrated and hoping to look a job right away. And when they were wrong with their decision and nowhere else to go, they will either live on the street or occupy somebody else's property. As an indirect effect, we now import agricultural products from other countries. It is their right to dream and live prosperously, but not at the expense of somebody's rights are being violated. I can't blame the owners to evict this people, they need their land and it is the reason why they acquire it. I believe that a person doesn't have to leave his place just to be successful, the same as a Filipino can be rich in his own country. They will use rally, hunger strikes, and sometimes it results to a bloody encounter just because they feel that they are being oppressed. I know, their right of having a decent abode as already given up from the moment that they leave and migrate away from their own original house. They cannot blame the owner or even the government. They have their rights so they should decide wisely.

The same goes with a writer or a public personality. We know the pen is mightier than the sword but if they unethically use their right to write, or what we call freedom of the press, they will definitely expect that those people whom they wrongly accused, will retaliate. Nobody wants to be stepped on. But there is always somebody that doesn't care if he or she has stepped on somebody's right.

The quote 'WITH EVERY RIGHT THERE IS A RESPONSIBILITY" applies not only to those people occupying a high position but most especially to each and everyone of us. Our so-called rights is our protection, our privilege, our power. But using these so called "power" should always comes with responsibility. We can enjoy those rights while others enjoy them as well. And for us to do that, we should ask ourselves, do we respect ourselves? If not, maybe that's why we didn't respect others.