Editorial November 6, 1978 Issue

The right to be unafraid

Nathan A. Talbot

Basic human rights. More and more people are seeking them. And the perception of just what constitutes a "right" is broadening.

What is a human right? By what authority does a perceived need become a right? Often when a given activity is felt to be progressive for society and deeply just for the individual, it is described as a "right." But what we are really saying is that justice, compassion, integrity, have impelled us to call for a wider recognition of certain basic values.

Many nations uphold such rights. Various statesmen have called for fuller awareness and implementation of these rights. Franklin D. Roosevelt, for instance, shared some insights that touched on his vision for the future. In a message to the United States Congress—widely known as his Four Freedoms Speech— the President spoke of four essential rights: freedom of speech and expression; freedom to worship God; freedom from want; and freedom from fear.^{Message to Congress, January 6, 1941;}

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