Rights

The United States Constitution and the constitutions of most of the U.S. states were built on principles that in retrospect are extremely sound. Furthermore they are rather universally applicable to describe the rights of living beings.

For example the Constitution of the California Republic says that everybody has inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Let us examine that in a broader context.

Anybody has a right to exist, and to live. Taking those rights away form somebody is not allowed. OK, spiritually speaking a being inherently exists eternally. However, the ability to express existence can be suppressed, and that should not be allowed. And particularly it should not be allowed to take anybody's life. That would be a violation of their inalienable right to live. No matter what the excuse is. Self-defense is permissible to the degree that it protects one's own right to live.

Then liberty, what is that? Freedom from arbitrary control or restraint. Exemption from compulsion. Nobody is supposed to force you to do anything or to force you to stay within certain boundaries. Essentially you are free to move or live as you please, as long as you aren't violating the rights of others to do the same. Anybody should have that right. If they choose to engage in an agreement to limit their freedom, it should be voluntary and it should only apply until such time when the agreement is canceled. Nobody can permanently give away their liberty, it is an inalienable right.

The pursuit of happiness basically means that you can choose whatever you want to be interested in or whatever activity you find enjoyment in engaging in. You can play any game you want. Nobody can decree which ways of living are acceptable. Again, as long as you don't harm anybody else, you choose what is right for you.

These are the best of principles, on many counts. First of all they provide a great foundation upon which to build governments, administrations and legal systems. They provide the guideline for arbitration when different interests collide. They also provide the foundation for a path of personal development.

See, every individual will have given away her personal rights to some extent. Not just legally speaking, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. She has not fully exercised them as her rights, and she has somehow felt or thought that she didn't deserve them, but she needed to be constrained somehow.

With transformational processing we work on getting people to take back their inalienable rights on a personal basis. That would mean being totally comfortable and confident existing, being present, living. It would mean operating as a free person without constraints and without having to give away control. It would mean that one is actively pursuing one's happiness without any doubts about whether one is allowed to.

The idea is that the rights can become so second nature that the person can not be tricked out of them again. They are inalienable rights, they can not be taken away. The only way of losing them is by giving them away. And they can always be taken back, because they are rights, not privileges. Nobody has any authority to take these rights away, beyond what you yourself agree to.

Personal empowerment is built on allowing oneself to be there, to expand, and to do whatever you choose to do that gives you fulfillment. It is a state of mind. A state of mind that it is your inherent right to have.



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