Inalienable

I long for a day when all we need to discuss are human rights. I know this is a pipe dream, but I wish we were in a world where we didn't have to specify between groups of people, but rather where we could say "you are a human, so you deserve to be happy, healthy and safe" and that would be all. The world is a rainbow and there is so much diversity to be recognized, but at the core we are all flesh and blood and we all deserve equal treatment. It shouldn't matter what shade your skin is, or what your body looks like, or who you sleep with or fall in love with, or what your bank account balance is, or who you are on the inside or the outside. We are all breathing, alive, human.

Life. Liberty. The pursuit of happiness. It can't be any clearer than that.

The long road in working towards this goal is still ahead of us. There are so many challenges to face. It isn't going to be easy to get to this place, and we probably won't see it in our lifetime. But that doesn't mean anyone should give up trying. The easiest way to start is to look at every person you encounter as just that: a person. Not as a black person or a white person but a person. Not as a gay person or a straight person. Not as rich or poor, heavy or thin, even male or female. That doesn't mean to forget or cast aside that part of the person, but to look at them primarily as a fellow human, no greater or lesser than you.

I know this all sounds terribly naive. It is. But it's something I think about every now and then. I like the idea of breaking down boxes and compartments and getting everyone on the same level. I hope this also isn't taken as a "let's remove everything special and unique about ourselves and become faceless drones" message, either. I'm just thinking of a place where people aren't judged on their looks or their status, but on their hearts and deeds.

*sigh*