If you have a right you also have a responsibility Some people are very quick to shout about the violation of their rights when they feel they are being treated unfairly, but rarely, if ever, do you hear those same people claim ownership of their responsibilities. It’s as if we have become a society where the rights of the individual are no longer set by legal, social or humanitarian standards, instead the term appears to have been customised to justify the individuals claim to whatever they want, regardless of whether they have earned it, worked for it or are entitled to it. Their mantra is ‘life and society owes me, and refusal is a violation of my rights’. Rights don’t appear by magic; every right you can lay claim to has been bought and paid for by others, often at a price that required them to forfeit their own rights so you can enjoy the benefits you now claim ownership to. Life and society owes us nothing; and it’s naive to expect life to be fair, to act responsibly and treat everyone the same when we refuse to live by those standards ourselves. Life doesn’t just happen as if by magic; it’s created, we create it, and what appears to be unfair or unjust is usually the result of actions taken by those who believe they have the right to do so, without thought or consideration of the outcome of their actions. Fairness is impossible without the capacity to act responsibly, unfortunately responsibility can’t be given, it must be accepted in the hearts and minds of those who understand the true cost of any right is the responsibility in which the right is earned and exercised.