Rights and Responsibilities

While trying to establish new democracies or to strengthen the already existing ones, the debate over the role of citizens gains complexity and urgency. In Western Europe and North America, the declining political participation and trust in public institutions are of utmost concern. In nations of central Europe and Asia, the citizens have the primary role of creating and developing institutions and practices that are compatible with local conditions and that lead to establishing a trustworthy democracy. In nations where authoritarian regimes still rule the only peaceful course of action is to expand the existing liberties.

It is not very hard to establish the basic human rights, at least as far as democracies are concerned. They include freedom of speech and expression, of association, assembly and participation, protections for personal privacy, individual conscience, faith and worship, the right to marry, travel freely and to participate in the economic and social life on a basis of equality and fairness.

However, we should not focus only on the rights that we have and forever ask for, but also on the responsibilities we have as citizens of one particular country and as inhabitants of this great and diverse world. Apart from the compliance with legitimate laws and institutions, we should be aware of our duty do our fair share, which will further enable us to live in a better world, one that we have, too, created. If we were, by any chance, to rank our responsibilities, the ones that would come first would be the one to make appropriate use of our liberty and to respect the rights of others.   [UP]