Fundamental Rights Are a Set of Legal Guidelines - Essay Example

Fundamental Rights Fundamental rights are a set of legal guidelines, in a legal context, formulated to protect people and offer them rights that transcend over other implications set by law or man. These fundamental rights translate to human rights that are promoted by legal concepts that emphasize the importance of human rights being fundamental rights. The concept of human rights is realized by different freedoms that people are entitled to, and they are viewed as essential constituents of a just life. These freedoms allow people to live a better life for self and society as a whole. Without these basic freedoms and rights, people would lead a life of misery and suffering because freedoms and rights make life worthwhile and purposeful. Rights and freedoms foster harmony, goodwill and welfare of every individual in society. As the world progressively moves on, people continue advancing in terms of enlightenment. This promotes people’s awareness on their rights and freedoms thus, the increase in number of liberties that are claimed to be necessary. The aim of this paper is to discuss four essential and cornerstone human freedoms, which the future of the world can be founded upon. Freedom of speech and expression is enshrined in most legal systems as an essential right that should not be curtailed by any means whatsoever. These rights give people the opportunity to speak their mind without any form of limitation or restriction. People are allowed to express their opinions, ideas, concepts and emotions or feelings through any medium that they see fit to convey their intended message adequately. The laws under which freedoms of speech and expression fall under are protected by the constitutions of their countries of origin. These two freedoms are applicable to all persons in society as long as they do not harm or pose a risk to other people, sovereignty and security of their country (Raskin & Spero 120). Freedoms of speech avail people the opportunity to air their views and criticize what they do not agree with, which helps foster a society, which is in touch with itself. Absence of freedoms of speech curtails social, economic and cultural development in society because it inhibits the flow of information. Information is a core component of any society without which proper and efficient functioning is diminished. The flow of information is realized through communication by means of speech between individuals, and various modes of expression. Communication in any given system is vital because it facilitates the conveyance of information that enables people carry out their daily activities efficiently and effectively. Freedoms of speech and expression are crucial elements that guarantee that a society flourishes in spheres of life existence for a nation’s population. The right to freedom of belief or religion is a fundamental principle, which allows people to hold beliefs, and carry out religious practices and rites that accompany their beliefs. It also allows individuals to choose what to believe in and determine their religious orientation. This is a vital component of individual liberties, which that function to auger people into strong religious backgrounds. Strong religious backgrounds facilitate the creation of sound morals that enable members of a society to live harmoniously and uphold other people’s rights and freedoms (Raskin & Spero 190). Religion fosters morals that are attributed to the recognition of individual rights and freedoms, and the creation of laws to protect them. Restriction of the right to freedom of religion and worship, for example, countries that have state religions; people of other religious orientations have their freedoms limited or restricted. This contributes to fostering of animosity between different religious groups because some feel that their religion is more deserving than the other groups. Freedom of religion and worship promotes development of good morals, which act as guiding principles in people’s lives. Good morals can replace laws in society because they foster harmony and respect for individual rights and freedoms. All religions of the world serve along similar dictates of preaching harmony among people and peace for all individuals. Religion is the strongest unifier of people, and restricting or limiting its influence amounts to harboring intentions of disrupting peace. The effects of religion should be seen as crucial elements for the propagation of peace around the world and creation of everlasting peace among warring nations. Freedom of wants can be translated to mean that all individuals are entitled to access to their basic needs. People require three basic needs in life for them to survive, and these include food, shelter and clothing. This means that every country’s government is obligated to ensure that it promotes and implements policies that ensure their citizens have easy and affordable access to these items (Raskin & Spero 234). To ensure that there is prosperity of all nations; measures should be put, in place, to guarantee that people have sustainable and affordable economies that ensure the availability of these commodities. This freedom ensures that people have an adequate standard of living promoted by the availability of these items to the citizenry. This guarantees the health and well-being of people, which ensures that problems associated with lack of these basic amenities are averted. The lack of these amenities is instigated by poverty, which makes access to basic needs unaffordable and unsustainable to the people. A country that ensures access to basic needs, for its people, is assured of a vibrant workforce that supports the country’s development ambitions. Freedom from fear is a right that predisposes people to the state of living without reservations that are imposed by trepidations of imminent attack from another nation or neighbor. Governments strive to ensure that no single country arms itself for reasons other than self-defense that it would pose as a threat to other nations and their interests (Raskin & Spero 280). A country can afford its people their rights and freedoms more effectively and efficiently by ensuring that no citizenry lives in apprehension from intimidation from other nations, The rights and freedoms of individuals help people live more harmoniously and peacefully with each other. Prosperity of a nation’s people depends on the exercise of the freedom of speech, religion, want and fear. These four freedoms create a situation where it becomes the responsibility of all individuals in all nations to safeguard the interests of each other. They help establish a universal watchdog that ensures that individuals from all nations are protected against forces that infringe on these rights and freedoms. Works Cited Raskin, M. G. & Spero, R. The Four Freedoms Under Siege: The Clear And Present Danger from Our National Security State. Greenwood Publishing Group. 2007. Print. Read More