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Our Unalienable Rights
By Barbara Berger
.jpg) Barbara Berger The founders of the United States of America wrote these words in their Declaration of Independence in 1776. To this day, this statement is one of the most profound statements ever formulated by mankind. I suggest you consider it carefully. They wrote:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The ultimate abuse occurs when someone tries to violate another person’s unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And this, we all know, is happening all the time, all around the world. Just turn on the TV and you see it happening. It’s going on all the time on the world stage. But this abuse is not just happening on the world stage, it’s also happening up close to us – in the lives of people around us. And it can be pretty shocking when you start to notice that it’s not just out there but that it’s also in here. Since I am a coach/therapist and do private sessions with people almost every day, I get to hear about this happening right here in this little peaceful country where I live. Almost everyone who comes to me for private sessions has experienced this type of abuse and is today suffering from the effects of this. They are suffering from and struggling with the reality that someone close to them has tried to violate their unalienable right to their own life, and to liberty (which is the freedom to do what they want – and experience the consequences) and to pursue happiness in whatever way they deem best (and again to experience the consequences). I hear this often from my clients. And it’s heartbreaking… I hear stories of husbands trying to violate their wives’ right to live their own lives as they deem fit and who justify this violation by repeating the old patriarchal call to duty for women saying “It’s your job to make me happy”… “You have a duty to the children”… “You have to think about the family,”… “I know what’s best for you”… etc. etc. It’s sickening to hear and because these women are not clear about the fact that they have certain unalienable rights and that among these are the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – it’s easy for their husbands to manipulate them. I also hear stories of parents who are trying to manipulate their adult children in this way and I hear it from adults who have been manipulated in this way by their parents. It is as if these children (whether they are young or old) only exist to make the parents happy and to satisfy the needs of the parents. It’s as if children from these confused and dysfunctional families are brought up to believe that they don’t have the right to their own lives. And so they feel they don’t have the right to pursue life, liberty and happiness in whatever way they see fit (and experience the consequences of their choices). And when they finally try to strike out on their own, they often feel terrible guilt because they were taught from an early age that their lives belong to another. And this is the ultimate abuse – to hear from the adult caretaker(s) in your life that you don’t have the right to your own life – that you don’t have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in whatever way you see fit. When this happens, it is the ultimate violation of a person’s basic human rights as a free individual. This of course does not mean that parents are not responsible for guiding and protecting their children when they are small, but as children grow into adulthood, it is no longer the parent’s job to determine what’s best for their children’s future. Because how can they know? How can one person possibly know what is best for another? Especially when we take into consideration that all men and women are created equal and that we are all endowed by our Creator with the same unalienable rights and that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. So the violation of human rights is not just something that is happening out there on the world stage… it’s also something that is happening right here where we are. And I doubt very much that we can fix out there until we fix in here. Out there is just a reflection of in here… That’s why I believe the wise words of the American founders are definitely worth thinking about and meditating upon… “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The men who wrote this statement truly saw into the core of the human condition. They understood the cry for freedom that is in every person’s heart. They knew that each and every one of us is longing for freedom and for the right to pursue happiness in whatever way we see fit because this is the basic human drive that is in all of us… this is our basic nature. When we violate these rights, we are violating who we truly are. About Barbara Berger American-born Barbara Berger is the best-selling author of “The Road to Power – Fast Food for the Soul” (published in 30 languages), “Are You Happy Now? 10 Ways to Live a Happy Life” (published in 21 languages) and “The Awakening Human Being – A Guide to the Power of Mind”. Barbara's latest book is "Find and Follow Your Inner Compass – Instant Guidance in an Age of Information Overload". All her books are available on Amazon.com or on her Web site. Barbara also works as coach, helping people around the globe come into alignment with their own true power. For more about Barbara see her Web site: http://www.beamteam.com *** Below are titles & links to the beautiful work from Barbara. She is a long time contributor :) The Ultimate Self-Empowerment Tool – Your Inner Compass http://www.mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2087 The Key to Happiness; Understanding the Way the Mind Works http://www.mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2113 Who would you be if you didn’t know your age? http://www.mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2147 The Power of Right Seeing http://www.mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2177 Review of Barbara Berger’s book Find and Follow Your Inner Compass by Riki Frahmann http://www.mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2184 Who would you be if you didn’t know your age? http://www.mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2198 Are You Here Now? Are You Happy Now? https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2247 Discovering Who You Really Are https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2284 Getting in Touch with Your Heart https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2299 Follow Your Passion & Accept the Consequences https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2324 The Power of the Joyful Giver https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2359 You have nothing to deal with but your own thoughts https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2374 Radio show http://www.blogtalkradio.com/starzcast/2018/09/26/natalie-interviews-barbara-berger--author-on-self-empowerment Peace Is Your Nature https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2398 The Power of Contemplating Love https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2423 How Can We Serve? https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2452 The Importance of Mind Management https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2472 Focus on the Real – A Way of Dealing with Worry and Catastrophic Thinking https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2499 Nothing External Can Disturb Us https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2527 Just Let Everything Be! https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2548 The Gift of Crisis https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2563 The Power of Asking for Help https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2592&fbclid=IwAR1ZK91thdusdkQTdqu0fHXgarR7Ghv7rmAjR6NypUUfLh2wv1ozLLi-HjU What does it mean to be psychologically mature? https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2625 The Meaning of Life https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2644 The Power of Praise & Blessing https://mysticlivingtoday.com/view_page.php?ID=2682 |
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