Human rights, and the rights of all beings  to sustainably, peacefully and harmoniously flourish are mere abstractions unless individuals, corporations, and governments accept their shared reponsibility to preserve them.  Unless we shift from win/lose competition to win/win mutual respect and cooperation for the good of the whole (the good of all that lives), we are headed for a "tragedy of the commons" on a global scale. Given our intensified global interdependence, with each of us impacting all others by our actions, we urgently require a global ethic to guide us--the Golden Rule that is at the heart of all the world's religions.  This is not simply a matter of survival, but a crucial step toward the realization of our potential to create the best of all possible worlds--"a civilization with a heart."

Note: Earth image courtesy of NASA

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