Makia Freeman – We all have inherent rights, no matter whether the governing authority of a particular geographical area recognizes it or whether it has been written down on a piece of paper as law. People from different from societies and cultures call these rights slightly different things. In the USA, they have been referred to as unalienable rights ever since the 1776 Declaration of Independence. Some call them natural rights to distinguish them from State-granted rights (which are not really rights but rather privileges). Others simply call them human rights. From a more religious perspective they are called God-given rights. Those who are uncomfortable with the loaded term “God” because of all the connotations it carries may prefer intrinsic rights or inherent rights. But, whatever you call them, they are a universal concept; they are a natural extension of ourselves with which we are born, and which we possess just by virtue of being human.
What is the Definition of “Inherent Rights”?
A right is an entitlement to a need. Inherent rights are the extension of intuitive self-knowing, of knowing that we are entitled to have our basic needs met. They are the verbalization of an instinctual feeling that we are worthy of love, peace and abundance, and that we deserve certain things because we are alive. These rights “come with” us, and we carry them around, like a tortoise carries its shell. Technically, inherent rights have no material existence outside the human mind, so from one perspective you could say we have invented them. However, I believe they are pointing to something profound and ineffable, like a mapping device for how we are supposed to make our way in this world and socially interact with others.