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Is life a right, or a privilege? [Trigger warning for everything]

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    #16
    Re: Is life a right, or a privilege? [Trigger warning for everything]

    I rather like Jainist principles on the sacredness and kindness to all life possible. I added "possible" at the end because we are in a complex world with various beings who have different types of consciousness and needs that can be in opposition of each others welfare. My own personal hope for the evolution of all beings is to go from being too powerless to create the welfare of all beings to growing that power. The less power you have the more compromises you have to make in offering all beings the ability to live, exist, and have self determination that does not harm others ability to live and have self determination. If you aren't strong enough to put protective boundaries around all beings, than those who wish and act on harm to others can not be as easily defended as having an innate "right to life" that giving them would innately remove that right to others.

    So if one being chooses to pit their welfare against that of another, it becomes more difficult to serve their welfare without compromising that of others. Because there are currently no beings who are both interested in and capable of ensuring the welfare of beings in the realm we inhabit and understand- we see the very foundation of life on our planet as being in a state of disharmony with itself. I know plenty would argue that the way things are is innately correct or innately "in balance" but I personally disagree. I think we have evolved from within the bossom of terrible suffering where compassionate awareness of all beings has not been able to flourish due to the heavy load of suffering and the limitations of the ability to alleviate that suffering. I like to hope that we are moving in the direction of gaining the skills to alleviate that suffering, such that beings may have healthy enjoyable lives that end naturally at the timeline of their species in a peaceful rather than violent end.

    We are very far from that and this world in complex, and I certainly do not follow the extent of recommended Jainist teachings toward all living beings, but as a harm reductionist, I seek to gain my capacity to do so and to empower and strengthen others who want to to also gain those skills. I respect that due to complex issues, balances of power such as having wolves to eat the plant eaters who over eat the plants are currently functioning as they do-- damaging that system in a way that makes things WORSE is not advisable-- that said I do believe we and even perhaps the spiritual forces that may exist within us, our world, the universe, beyond-- may grow in capacity to address such issues through more peaceful means.

    Life is a right, however we- I- humanity- forces of nature and beyond-- do not yet seems capable of ensuring that right and we are in a limited and complexly difficult reality where essentially- we fail each other. When we (or other forces?) are ready and able to take on greater power safely without causing more harm than good I like to hope we will get better at the compassionate arts for all beings. It is a dream we see in many cultures (though not all) of the idea of heaven or utopia asa place of peace-- a place where the wolf lays down with sheep in friendship. I don't know that we'll get there, but I like to hope that as a vision, and do my part to work towards that if possible while respected the complex balances and forces involved in shaping the way things are now.

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      #17
      Re: Is life a right, or a privilege? [Trigger warning for everything]

      In regards to nature, it's a privelige.

      The weak, in nature, tend to die and the strong tend to survive and multiply.

      In human society, for the most part, life is a right. Humans are social creatures that live and thrive in groups and communities. Humans that live alone and separate tend to be in the minority. As such, humans extend the right to live to their less fortunate brethren in the hopes of forming a stronger group/community. 'We're stronger together then alone' mentality tends to prevail, making life in such groups a right instead of a privilege.

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        #18
        Re: Is life a right, or a privilege? [Trigger warning for everything]

        I disagree. Those that adapt in nature survive. The dinosaurs were big and strong but they died because they didn't adapt. Same with Neanderthals. They were bigger and stronger than humans but died out anyway. So strength is only one trait and its no guarantee of survival. Plenty of species at the bottom of the food chain survive, they just adapt in many other ways.

        In a wolf pack there is only room for one alpha but the other males do survive.

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