We Already Have a Bill of Rights!

Here is a Bill of Responsibilities!

(as a Human) 

1. To be accountable for one's own actions ... and the consequences of those actions.  This covenant assumes that freedom of choice carries with it the responsibilities for those choices; and must function, not as a requirement, but as a utility of the willingness to make choices.

2. To be responsible to, and for, the truth; to be well educated and well informed.  Truth is not a variable, subject to the requirements of any expected or desired outcome.  Our responsibility to each other is full and unadulterated clarity ... in everything we think, say, and do.  The pursuit of such knowledge and truth is a lifelong commitment.  We cannot possibly fulfill any of our responsibilities without a strong measure of informed participation.

3. To become a responsible earth citizen.  The vitality and viability of the human species, as with all other species, depends entirely on living in balance with nature.  We must begin to see nature and her abundance, not as a commodity, but as a gift to be protected and shared equally by all life.  Rampant consumerism and the blind pursuit of profits are ideas that are no longer acceptable as models for our societal structure.

4. To commit to being an active participant.  This covenant is rooted in the belief we must first strive to meet our own needs, followed by those of our family, and then our community, our nation, and our world.  It is a given that every individual has the capacity to be a contributor at some level; willingness being the equalizer for all unbalanced skill sets.   Further, active participation includes the formulation of accepted rules (laws) based on a solid foundation of moral codes and ethics ...and an unbroken chain of respect and compliance.

5. To respect the rights and beliefs of others ... including their property.  In a free society, diversity is expected ... and welcomed.  Acceptance is logical; demanding that someone else must believe as you do ... is not.  Equally, the right to keep and enjoy personal property depends entirely on our willingness to allow others to keep and enjoy theirs.

6. To give sympathy, understanding and help to others in need ... without expectation of reward.  Giving is giving; it should make no demands.  Our whole approach to life and human interaction must evolve.  Our journey, as a species, cannot be completed as long as we leave anyone behind.

7. To Respect and honor the Spirit of our unborn children.  Our world ... I refer to that finite environment that permits life to exist at all ... is a closed system.  What we create from the raw materials earth provides ... stays in the system ... and re-visits the next seven generations of our children.  Our legacy cannot be the pollution we create. 

Earth Based Facts (if the earth was a perfectly smooth ball)

Average depth of water = approx. 1.6 Miles (.0002 of earth's diameter)

Average depth of breathable air = approx 15,000 feet. (.00036 of earth's diameter)

Average depth of soil = 8 inches (.00000002 of earth's diameter)

Earth's human population = 6.6 billion, that's 6,600,000,000 people

Land mass = 57,511,026 sq miles

Population density = approx 114.7 people/sq mile

If you were to take a basketball and spray it with a single coat of paint ... the thickness of that coat of paint is comparatively the same as the thickness of our breathable air on Earth.  We live in a sliver of a place that protects us from the lifeless void of intergalactic space.  We had better learn to take care of it ... it is all we have to sustain life.

Is this a Native American's wisdom, alone? 

Is this exclusively a Native American's belief? 

Is it purely a Native American's teaching?

Is this part of Native American's  Culture ... but no other?

Common sense should be part of everyone's life, and culture!

Make it part of your life ... step up ... make it your responsibility!