Human rights, human rights, human rights, human rights, and human rights! That's basically what has been churning around in my mind ever since I knew about Bloggers Unite for Human Rights Day.
Every time something like this comes up I think someone else can write something better than I can and surely everyone knows about the hot topics going on in the world right now. Hang on though, if everyone knows, why are we talking about it again? What is it about these issues that make it seem almost impossible to solve?
I watch the documentaries and cry, not just a sniffle, sometimes full-blown snot and tears. Then twenty minutes later what am I doing? Probably sat a computer messing about blogging. I know its not apathy for the most part, it would be brutal to carry around that deep deep sadness all the time and not at all good for your mental health.
On this journey I am on to become a counsellor, you have to go back to basics when learning about what it is to be human and how counselling actually works. What do we need? From a basic level to the higher planes of self worth. Maslow came up with a hierarchy of needs, which started from the basic physiological needs all the way to self-actualisation.
When I look at this chart at the bottom, I read the physiological needs that are essential and think 'Shit!' how many people never even make it past this stage in their life. You can read some more about Maslow's hierarchy of needs here if you want Maslow's hierarchy of needs. As usual I am rambling while I try to pull some thoughts together, what am I trying to say?
Basically there are Billions of people out there that don't even get their basic needs met, over 1 Billion people still have NO access to clean drinking water, 3 billion have No access to sanitation, children are fighting in wars and monks are providing a physical barrier against machine guns. That's just a teeny tiny fraction of what's wrong around us. Bad things don't just happen in far off countries that we only see on the telly, bad things happen everywhere and affect everyone at some stage in their lives. Each and every one of these terrible things are just as important. I have asked myself some questions that cover some of safety and physiological needs and then provided some links to sites/organisations that are tackling these issues.
Do you have somewhere safe to live?
Yes I do, I sleep safely in my bed tonight and probably every other night.
Check out: Shelter
Do you have food to eat?
Yes I do.
Check out:World Food Programme
Do you have water to drink?
If I want glass water; I get off my arse and walk all of ten steps to get some.
But 1 BILLION people do not!
Check out: WaterAid
Do you have water to bathe in?
If I want to have a shower for ages and ages, I do it.
I want a bath, I have a bath and then a shower to.
3 BILLION people do not.
Check out: International Year of Sanitation
Do you have access to a toilet?
If I want to go the bathroom and sit on the throne, I do it.
3 BILLION people do not!
Check out: Unicef Sanitation
Do you have access to Information?
If I want to know something, I google it, go to the library, go to school, read a book, ask someone.
Check out:Become a blogger for Human Rights
Do you have the freedom to speak out?
If I want to rant, scream, doodle, I blog it, talk to my friends and many many other outlets.
Check out: Global Voices Online
Do you have access to medical treatment?
If I need to go the hospital I get to call an ambulance. If I have a sniffly nose I make an appointment with the doctor, phone the online doctors or go to the chemist.
Check out:Physicians for Human Rights
Can you wear what you want?
I can wear what ever I want or nothing at all, I can do it.
Check out: Human Rights Watch
Yep I can pretty much get whatever I want or need.
Speaking out about Human Rights is not about making a difference to people and places that you have never heard about and will never see, well not for me anyways. Its also not about making you feel guilty about having nice things, loving families and other pleasures in life.
I will wait to see if I am born as a modern day saint in another life, this time round I just want to feel like I have helped out even just one person.
Bloggers Unite
I watch the documentaries and cry, not just a sniffle, sometimes full-blown snot and tears. Then twenty minutes later what am I doing? Probably sat a computer messing about blogging. I know its not apathy for the most part, it would be brutal to carry around that deep deep sadness all the time and not at all good for your mental health.
On this journey I am on to become a counsellor, you have to go back to basics when learning about what it is to be human and how counselling actually works. What do we need? From a basic level to the higher planes of self worth. Maslow came up with a hierarchy of needs, which started from the basic physiological needs all the way to self-actualisation.
When I look at this chart at the bottom, I read the physiological needs that are essential and think 'Shit!' how many people never even make it past this stage in their life. You can read some more about Maslow's hierarchy of needs here if you want Maslow's hierarchy of needs. As usual I am rambling while I try to pull some thoughts together, what am I trying to say?
Basically there are Billions of people out there that don't even get their basic needs met, over 1 Billion people still have NO access to clean drinking water, 3 billion have No access to sanitation, children are fighting in wars and monks are providing a physical barrier against machine guns. That's just a teeny tiny fraction of what's wrong around us. Bad things don't just happen in far off countries that we only see on the telly, bad things happen everywhere and affect everyone at some stage in their lives. Each and every one of these terrible things are just as important. I have asked myself some questions that cover some of safety and physiological needs and then provided some links to sites/organisations that are tackling these issues.
Do you have somewhere safe to live?
Yes I do, I sleep safely in my bed tonight and probably every other night.
Check out: Shelter
Do you have food to eat?
Yes I do.
Check out:World Food Programme
Do you have water to drink?
If I want glass water; I get off my arse and walk all of ten steps to get some.
But 1 BILLION people do not!
Check out: WaterAid
Do you have water to bathe in?
If I want to have a shower for ages and ages, I do it.
I want a bath, I have a bath and then a shower to.
3 BILLION people do not.
Check out: International Year of Sanitation
Do you have access to a toilet?
If I want to go the bathroom and sit on the throne, I do it.
3 BILLION people do not!
Check out: Unicef Sanitation
Do you have access to Information?
If I want to know something, I google it, go to the library, go to school, read a book, ask someone.
Check out:Become a blogger for Human Rights
Do you have the freedom to speak out?
If I want to rant, scream, doodle, I blog it, talk to my friends and many many other outlets.
Check out: Global Voices Online
Do you have access to medical treatment?
If I need to go the hospital I get to call an ambulance. If I have a sniffly nose I make an appointment with the doctor, phone the online doctors or go to the chemist.
Check out:Physicians for Human Rights
Can you wear what you want?
I can wear what ever I want or nothing at all, I can do it.
Check out: Human Rights Watch
Yep I can pretty much get whatever I want or need.
Speaking out about Human Rights is not about making a difference to people and places that you have never heard about and will never see, well not for me anyways. Its also not about making you feel guilty about having nice things, loving families and other pleasures in life.
I will wait to see if I am born as a modern day saint in another life, this time round I just want to feel like I have helped out even just one person.
Bloggers Unite
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