What Everyone Forgets When Demanding  Rights

Life gets out of balance so easily. When it does, parts like finances, our emotions, or health begin snowballing out of control. It can be as simple as a broken-down vehicle, taking care of an aging parent, or suffering from anxiety or depression.

Our society also has something causing more havoc in our lives than a temporary state of unbalance. In fact, it generates even more turmoil, for its attitude is contagious and dangerous.

It is called the demand for rights. And it has become an epidemic.

Many times it is really privileges people are seeking.

A few years back, I was reminded of how one’s rights infringed on another’s. While shopping locally, I overheard a customer complain to management about the store not having automatic doors. Using a cane, they felt entitled to one. The manager agreed wholeheartedly sharing how he’d been fighting to try to get automatic doors installed. After the couple left, my husband and I spoke with the manager half-teasing, half-educating, we explained how we felt one’s rights infringes on another’s. You see, the motion of the door swinging open, alerts me to know I’ve crossed the threshold and which direction I’m facing. With automatic door openers, I am clueless as to where I am until I’m much further in the store. The truth of the matter is, that’s not a major crisis . . . only a momentary inconvenience. It doesn’t prevent either of us from entering the store.

What Everyone Forgets When Demanding  Rights

To demand stores be forced to install special devices for my convenience when it inconveniences or hurts the physically impaired seems silly. I still live with automatic doors, and the woman using a cane lived with normal swinging doors. I believe people forget we still have freedom of choice. Convenience doesn’t equate a reason to demand rights.

Public smoking used to be a smoker’s right. New laws, in many places, handed the smoker’s right to the non-smoker.  While I don’t smoke, I was comfortable with my right to choose. There were restaurants I chose not to frequent, but I believed the owners had a right to run their business the way they wanted.

I’m not stating which is right (no pun intended), nor where we draw the line. My hope is to get wheels turning.

Taking a seeing-eye dog in a restaurant might cause the patron in the next booth to start sneezing. A young child sitting nearby might be afraid of dogs from being bit previously. While exaggerated, this shows it’s never possible to prevent intruding on others’ rights, but should be minimized.

When something doesn’t go your way, ask yourself:

• Does this affect just me, or a larger population?

• Is there another solution before I go making a fuss?

• Am I just being inconvenienced, and trying to demand a privilege as a right?

Fighting for cameras in police cars could be a good thing because it benefits everyone concerned. Forcing restaurants to carry braille menus, on the other hand, is only necessary for a small population in rural areas, but is a greater need in cities.

I don’t even read braille, and I’m not alone. I actually enjoy someone reading a menu to me anyway. If I feel independent, I can read most menus ahead online. Besides, helping me makes them feel good too.

Wouldn’t it be nice if businesses used common sense and made such offerings as nice gestures, before people start demanding rights?

The needs should be considered in more depth, and maybe, just maybe, use some common sense.

Instead of demanding rights unnecessarily, or ones that would infringe on another’s, we need to focus on being grateful for the rights and privileges we have here in America. We need to work together to find other solutions first, if possible.

ALWAYS REMEMBER – it is impossible to please everyone all the time!

When it comes to times for group’s rights, like demanding women’s’ right to vote that improves our country, we need to do so.

One major consideration is to pause and think through the best method to make the largest gain with the smallest damage. Always start with prayer.

Let’s Talk. Have you ever noticed a time or situation where someone’s demand for rights would infringe on another person’s? Please share in the comments below.

© 2023, Jena Fellers. All rights reserved.