Composition | Human Rights and Values
People can proudly talk about how advanced civilization has come about because of science. We have achieved incredible feats like landing on the Moon, reaching the top of Mount Everest, and exploring the depths of the oceans. We have also explored other planets in our solar system and sent signals beyond into the unknown universe. Science has greatly improved our average life expectancy through amazing medicines and surgical procedures. It has also made communication much better, removing the barriers of time and space. Life has become immensely enjoyable in many ways because of science.
However, despite all these achievements, the lives of ordinary people remain neglected and miserable. To make matters worse, they are often denied basic human rights such as the right to life, property, food, clothing, freedom of movement, and freedom of expression. The passionate pleas of poets, prophets, and protests of politicians have not been effective so far.
In fact, the world's human society can be broadly divided into two sections: the privileged class, who enjoy the good things in life, and the underprivileged, who continue to suffer. This coexistence of abundance and poverty is a major problem in modern society. Moreover, dictators and oppressive governments often deny champions of democracy their legitimate human rights. They imprison them without trial and subject them to inhuman torture. In some countries, military leaders have seized power and rule over the lives of ordinary people either directly or through puppet leaders. The ways of leaders like Saddam Hussein in Iraq are shrouded in fear and mystery. Generals were recently executed there by firing squad. Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of Aung San from Myanmar, won the previous general election and the Nobel Peace Prize, but she was under house arrest until recently. Russian Nobel laureate Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn spent about twenty years in exile because the Soviet government was not favorable towards him. Taslima Nasrin, a writer, is still unable to return to her hometown of Dhaka due to the threat of being killed by fundamentalists. Amnesty International estimates that many prisoners in countries like India are held without trial. These violations of basic human rights and values are a grave disgrace in our civilized times. Unfortunately, there is no international authority with the power to prevent such violations and protect innocent people.
The only hopeful aspect in this bleak situation is that global public opinion is growing stronger in detecting and condemning these violations of human rights. However, there is a pertinent question about whether hardcore militants and well-armed terrorists, who are openly supported by foreign countries and aim to destabilize our country, should be entitled to full rights or be subject to the sacred principles of human rights. It has been observed that terrorism thrives on frustration, particularly economic frustration rather than political motives. Therefore, the best approach for everyone involved is to sit down at the negotiation table, engage in dialogue, and resolve complicated issues in a friendly manner. No one should be persecuted for expressing their firm beliefs.