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The most important moral development in recent times has been the establishment of ‘human rights’. The human rights movement rose to prominence after the two world wars and the end of colonial racism. Human rights have now become the moral foundation of the modern age, written into the constitution of the United Nations and recognized by international law.

Although many people around the world now consider human rights to be sacred, the truth is that humans have no natural or God given rights. Whatever political rights we now enjoy, previous generations had to fight and sometimes die for. And these rights could be taken away from us at any time by imperialist superpowers, religious fundamentalists, industrial military elitists, or any other group that would try to deceive and enslave us if they could.

We will forever be forced to keep fighting for whatever political rights we have gained. If there is anything sacred about human rights, it comes from the hopes of those who have suffered, and from the blood of those who have died fighting for the cause of freedom in the historic struggle against self-serving opportunists and ideological extremists.

The fight to define human rights is a political battle in which persuasion is the key weapon. For people with progressive ideals, human rights include the right to food and shelter, the right to education and healthcare, and the right to free and fair elections. And the battle for these rights will not end until they have been enshrined in international law and are guaranteed for every person in the world.