We hear a lot of talk about rights, most frequently from people who don't think they are getting what they want from life. Sometimes, they are correct but often they are not. Let's go back to basics.
Fundamentally, we have no rights and neither do whales nor amoeba. Go back to the Olduvai Gorge, the cradle of mankind. Did the Australopithecines of 4 million years ago have rights to clean water or Homo Habilis of 2 million years ago have rights to courts of justice? Plainly no. Mankind has evolved much since then and has established, in many countries at least, basic rights for its citizens. And much of that is for the good - free speech, democracy, police protection from crime, ownership of property - the list is endless. All this is fine.
BUT and this is important to remember, the rights we enjoy are by the grace of the society in which we live: they are not innate nor fundamental and we must all constantly strive to preserve them and improve them.
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