What are the obligations of rights and the responsibility of freedom?; Simple as always, works the best, says I. In "PEOPLE: Cosmology of Species," - https://medium.com/@streetiamtv/people-cosmology-of-species-86c1267c2610 - I outline the process of instinct, perception of polarity and our ability to reason natural social order.
This article builds on the basic outline under which all social order is formed so you may want to read Cosmology first, or later, if anything in this article requires clarification.
Life's infinite polarized process of possibilities, are perceived as opposites at the extreme, but they are not different and not in conflict. All opposites are simply different ends of the same spiral so to speak. In other words, there is no small without large, no in without an out, and no tall without a short. Neither exists unless both polarities are intact. Misunderstanding this reality when defining social order is the current most pressing problem we face in advancing it.
The Infinite Possibilities, Of Natural Order
When thinking of rights and obligations, freedom and responsibility one first thinks of government and social order. Like the above spiral, social order has it’s in and outs, ups and downs. At its heart however it is simple. No social order at one end with everyone for themselves, which then leads to deterioration and extinction. Or total control of everyone and everything by a social system, also leading to extinction. Why, because, one cannot exist without the other. At one extreme total control by a system of social order and at the other no system of social order.
In obligations and rights, or freedom and responsibility, social order and personal order are the same
Social order is existential to our species and each genome has a role they are playing right now in the evolution of social order, perhaps our most existential process. Our participation in social and personal order are played out in the decisions we make, as we trade our rights for obligations and negotiate the responsibilities required, for the freedoms we also require, to self determine, according to our perception of what has value.
Personal Obligations of Rights, and Freesponsibility
The process of Natural social, and personal order then, is not one system but a process of never ending naturally occurring exchanges often systematized and governed by law in society and by habit in a person. Habits and laws are the natural obligation of rights process, under which we exercise freesponsibility. We are engaged in this process every second of every day.
Why is the process of rights and obligations natural to People? A natural process can be defined as anything that one cannot do or cannot ever stop doing. At this moment for instance you have the right to read this, but you cannot do it unless you obligate yourself to do so. You have the freedom to read as much as you want but if you value your time you will be responsible to understand what you are reading and see if it has value.
All species in nature are subject to a contract of rights and obligations for existence. They must obligate themselves to habits of conduct and consistency within the organism and, to be reliably useful to other species or assets within creation. In People however more than any other species, we find the most freedom to act within creation. It therefore follows that there is also more responsibility.
The Rise Of The Superhero
When the War to End All Wars was barely 20 years in the past, a new profound sense of ultimate power to create and destroy on a global scale evolved in the popular culture. With it came the rise of the superhero.
The first superhero was Superman. Superman was from another planet at a time when life on other planets was becoming widely popularized. His weakness was kryptonite. Ours was and still is the atom bomb. The two became almost synonymous after the atom bomb was exploded. But soon other super heroes arrived on the scene, augmented by some quirk of new science or sometimes the supernatural, into a superhero.
In Spiderman, the right to a normal life to be a teen growing up, becomes an obligation to do, what is in his heart and power to do. I mean at first the web stuff just flies out of his hand to help someone. It’s that superhero instinct to protect each one who is innocent in the natural social order. But he soon realizes if he is going to be free to at least work with his instincts on this, he, like Superman and all the rest of that crowd, must protect his identity or he will not be able to help anyone. He and all his friends will become targets for revenge. Since he has a natural right to this power because he was innocent in obtaining it, it was fate of the unknown, he is now obligated to research it and make it stable. If it is harmful to his life, he must find a cure.
In Batman, the plot thickens. No product of alien environment, scientific anomaly or natural phenomenon he. Bruce is just a super driven, super rich, super intelligent, and somewhat vengeful guy. He is determined that innocence never be denied to another as It was to him. In his quest, he delves into an existential riddle of human nature. Will his efforts to destroy the potentiality of evil that robbed him of his childhood innocence ultimately turn him into the evil he would destroy, Will that make the efforts to protect become a tool to destroy innocence? Perhaps even give evil the capacity to increase.
Batman brings the job of the super hero, into the capacity of the average person to explore their dark and light identity. Whether rich or poor, plumber or poet in even the small decisions, a person can become their own superhero according to their ability to self determine and establish their values in that moment. The superhero message is, more freedom means more responsibility according to one’s perceived personal identity, in an unknown universe, governed by a process of rights and obligations, ever unfolding.