Do you value your Freedom?

I went to work in my pyjamas today.

I felt like exercising my freedom in my small business on a policy review day to sit at my desk in my pyjamas, so I just did it. A small freedom, a bit of fun and it feels good, a proper luxury. I value my small freedoms to be choiceful and to feel free.

I also value the larger scale Freedom we have, that is protected to a degree by the Human Rights Act. I have been very worried by the erosion of Human Rights in the UK and Internationally. I am even more concerned by talk of leaving the European umbrella of protection of our rights.

Being a TA trained coach (among the many modalities I trained in!), the bedrock of the EATA ethical framework is the basic values identified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Being a coach, I have been using my foundational skills of trying to see other’s perspectives on this, assuming that there must be some positives that I am not addressing, and wishing to have a rounded view and not jump to conclusions about where this is all going.

Every point I read, in favour of scaling down human rights, appears: either to be gaining greater profit through the ability to take even greater advantage of people and planet, without full accounting for resources, or proper fair recompense; OR it seems to place greater power into the hands of the few; OR both!

I cannot see why that would be good for any populace in any country. Looking around the world that I am related to, it concerns me where this will end up.

What is all this profit and power for? It appears to be used to divide a few people out from others, and to do as little as possible for humans generally, for wellbeing or for biodiversity.

It also appears to divest the responsibility that sits with a government – to act for all the people, equally.

So why would we give this away?

I want it to be noted that I am not OK with this.

I just joined Liberty in response to my reflection time on the subject.

At a time when we face massive change, I feel we need to work together with greater altruism and embody the values enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Respect, Responsibility, Protection, Mutuality and Empowerment. I feel that is the test of a civilised society – the embodiment by people of these values.

The test of good government for me is their embodiment of these values in how they use the power invested in them, and what they use profit for, where they channel it to. And the reality and truth of their accounting.

Humans, Colleagues. I invite you to sit, in your pyjamas if you like, and take a bit of reflection time.

What is as important as bedrock to you?

What do you make of what I have said?

Is there an action that you are moved to make?