LETTER | Beyond rights to duties - our duty to care

LETTER | The focus on rights and responsibilities has come into focus globally with regard to issues like those who take a position against vaccination, democracy or on an issue like abortion. The right to my body has become a sacred cry and the state should not intervene on my personal rights. We have had over two years of the Covid-19 challenges and the mutations that this has given rise to continue to impact societies.

The fact remains that we can take all necessary steps to protect ourselves and yet be vulnerable to infection from those who have been vaccinated and otherwise. With more and more people taking the vaccines, there is a general sense of safety in numbers shared amongst those who have taken two doses as well as the booster shots.

This has driven the wedge deeper vis a vis the unvaccinated. New reports indicate that there are more unvaccinated people being infected presently and admitted to hospital. This causes a reaction from amongst the hospital staff, all of whom have undergone double vaccination. In addition, ICU facilities are taken up by these cases, leading to the inability of hospitals to respond to other serious cases and operations.

There is a personal dimension to this and if you are unvaccinated and caused an infection to your near and dear ones leading to a loss of life, what a tragedy this represents and how does one manage such events and adversity.

In a similar vein, the proponents of abortion laws speak in terms of the right to their bodies. It is

acceptable that there are circumstances when abortion should be considered and there are norms in countries to regulate this fact. However, are rights and responsibilities the only perspective from which such positions should be viewed?

An eastern view would be to look at such issues from the perspective of duties and responsibilities. Such a perspective will encompass rights and when balanced against duties will afford a more balanced response. We have a duty to ourselves and we have also a duty to others. When we fail in exercising our duty to others then, in law, this gives rise to the tort of negligence.

We live today in a very interconnected and interdependent world. Our duty to others must come into our consideration and we have to act with this perspective also in mind. I can empathise with the anti-vaxxers and their positions but from the perspective of my duty to others, I take a different position. Others are important and just as the virus makes no distinction between people, I too have to transcend my sense of rights and be guided by a higher sense of duty.

I have a mother who is over 90 years of age and a daughter who is immuno-compromised. I live with these realities daily. I owe a deep duty of care to both of them. It is no more a sense of my rights. I subjugate this and accept that my duty overrides and encompasses my personal sense of rights.

One dreads to think if one was the cause for either of them catching Covid-19 or any of its mutated variety. This will be something that would hurt me deeply at the level of my conscience. There are always risks and adversities that befall all of us.

We are in a better position to handle these if we are not the cause for such adversity or if one has taken all the necessary precautions at all times. The questions we face are no more personal or individual. It is also about the collective. We hear good and bad news yet we have each one of us take a personal decision that serves the best interest of the collective and us personally. A sense of duty could provide a larger, deeper and more inclusive perspective and response.

It is equally true that we also owe a duty of care to our bodies. If we are able to reflect on this and view issues like abortion then we are in a position to make the right and most helpful decision. Ultimately, “life” is the highest value that we all share. Many may not agree with me but this is a perspective worthy of deep reflection.

I am reminded of an expert on the environment who gave an outstanding presentation on the global environmental challenges that humanity faces. With facts, figures and data, a compelling case was presented. Thereafter during tea, the expert was seen smoking away. Several others drew the attention of others to this fact. Is there a deep relationship between our internal and external environment?

This is what is meant by congruency or more popularly referred to as “walking the talk”. Others are important and we are in a position to have a more balanced and helpful view when we reflect on the other and our deep sense of duty of care to ourselves, our neighbours, and the environment.

Duty is more than a transactional relationship. It is not restricted in an organisation by your letter of appointment and responsibilities. A sense of duty motivates one to share, take responsibility and to contribute. It is in keeping with the late John F Kennedy’s refrain, “Ask not what your country can give you but what you can give to your country”. One’s motivation ultimately is what makes the difference.

When the motivation is to keep power, both duties and rights can become blurred. Consider the dilemma of Boris Johnson. Even those of his close associates can only waffle and not be clear on the compromises that he needs to be held accountable for. The same for Trump with his focus only on himself.

Closer to home, we have former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak and all the political frogs who jumped. They exhibited their rights at great expense to those who elected them to office.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.