“Every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation, every possession a duty.”
These words given by the famous American business magnate and philanthropist John Davison Rockefeller Sr. reflect a truth that most people either ignore or tend to disavow. What is the purpose of the law? It must be said that the purpose of the law definitely is to enforce and safeguard everyone’s rights. The concept of the ‘right’ is not so simple to comprehend even though each one of us talks continuously about it! Needless to say, that we all are very assertive whenever our rights are infringed by others or anyone. We are vociferous about our various rights such as the right against discrimination/ right to equality, right to livelihood, right to dignity, right to a wholesome environment, right to life; right to freedom, etc. Amidst this ever-so pervasive cacophony about right – more often than not – the deliberation on right always misses discussion on corresponding ‘duty’. Unfortunately, amidst the excessive din surrounding rights, we fail to see the innate values and the importance of duty. To illustrate with an example: the right to the environment manifests in the form of everyone’s ‘right to live in a pollution-free environment. And it is as such; this aforesaid right cannot be actualized unless we realize our own corresponding duty in serving and bolstering the health of the environment. It cannot be overstated that the ‘right to live in a pollution-free environment’ would warrant every one of us to discharge our respective duty toward our common and shared environment. The realization of the right to a pollution-free environment would never materialize unless we all collectively and conscientiously do our bit to clean the environment. It is especially relevant in today’s time which is defined by a market economy and excessive consumerism. Market economy and consumerism do not easily align with the environment. As a matter of fact, the exploitation of resources and the environment feeds this distorted form of economy and fuel the juggernaut of consumerism. Similarly, other rights such as the ‘right to freedom, right to equality would never be consummated unless every citizen in the society performs their duty to uphold and protect the freedom and equality of everyone. It is high time that we all start to focus on our duties more. Our lackadaisical attitude towards our duties would lead us nowhere. It is via duty that the right could be served and not otherwise. The author presumes that if each and every individual fulfils his/her all duties would act as a stepping-stone for the fulfilment and realization of rights. Our common amnesia towards duty has for the long-overburdened judiciary. A duty-based society would result in a lesser number of cases before the court. The author would conclude by quoting the words of Russell Amos Kirk, an American political theorist, historian, and social critic.
“Every right is married to a duty; every freedom owes a corresponding responsibility.”
Dakshita Sharma Katare
Student BALLB,
IVth Sem, School of Law
