What am I owed?
I have written before about the power of narratives, the power of stories and ideas that we embrace and in which we believe. One of the most universal of these narratives is the expression of human rights. Here in the Upper Valley for example, the human rights narrative is most often echoed in regard to things like affordable housing and health care, access to healthy food and good schools. Indeed the phrase “health care is a human right” seems to be a well-accepted truth.
Here’s a question that I ponder often: why are these things my right? Why do I believe that I am owed the right to accessible health care, affordable housing? Don’t get me wrong; I too tend to embrace those beliefs. I am not a wealthy man. I struggle, like many of my neighbors, to get by. I don’t go the doctor when I should because I simply cannot afford it. I watch my resources dwindle as prices go up and up and up. But still, am I owed something different?
I recall a story my sister told me about a woman who was asked the question, “how is your quality of life?” The woman responded: “What quality of life. You live, you die.”
This stuck with me. Am I owed the chance to live a long, healthy and prosperous life? Is that my birthright? Here’s what I do know: we live in a world in which resources are unequally distributed. Those of us living in a world of scarcity most often embrace the narratives of human rights. Those living in a world of abundance most often embrace the narratives of personal freedom. I do not believe, when all is said and done, that I am owed anything; but I will probably continue to argue that I am.