The Importance of a Duties-First Approach

THE IMPORTANCE OF A DUTIES-FIRST APPROACH on the other hand, should one remain silent on violating one’s rights?” My answer to this was that this was an abstract question. In my experience, talk of this kind is flawed because it only looks at one side of the picture and ignores the other. It does not seek to discover the root cause of the phenomenon. It focuses on the victim but does not try to know how the victims became victims of someone in the first place. I believe in this Quranic verse: “Whatever misfortune befalls you is of your own doing” (42:30). This is a Law of Nature, which has also been referred to in the Bible in these words: “A man reaps what he sows.” (Galatians, 6:7) It is a Law of Nature in giving that we receive. It is impossible to receive something from others continuously unilaterally. The concept of demanding while not giving, speaking about your rights but ignoring your duties towards the wider society, is unnatural and, hence, useless. One person’s duty is another person’s right. This being the case, if we all follow the principle of duty-consciousness, automatically, our rights will be taken care of. A dutyconscious person seeks to fulfil the rights of others. Duty consciousness, in developing a giving character in a person, lays the foundation for a better society. Duty consciousness, promoting a ‘we-we’ culture amongst individuals, is at the root of all good in society. In contrast, a mindset that focuses only on one’s rights promotes a ‘we-them’ culture and produces conflicts and other problems in society.