It can be observed in our society that mostly people talk about their rights and complain that they are not given their due rights by the society or the system; however, they mostly ignore the responsibilities that they have towards the society. They, undoubtedly, have the right to talk about their rights and raise their voices when there are discrimination or violation of their rights; nonetheless, they must not forget the fact that they have to fulfill certain responsibilities as well before they get in the position where they question about their due rights. It should not be forgotten that mostly once responsibilities satisfy others rights in a society.
If policemen, for example, fulfill their responsibilities, the citizens get an environment free of crime and insecurity and the rights of the people to have secure and peaceful lives are automatically safeguarded. In a similar fashion, if every individual takes care of cleanliness around them and keep their surroundings tidy, all the people will have their right of having a hygienic environment satisfied. There is a very close link and interdependence between the rights and responsibilities and it is imperative for the citizens of a country to understand this link.
It can be argued that societies and systems are created for the people and not the vice versa; therefore, the society and systems must ensure that the rights of the inhabitants are met. It is true to a certain extent but it is only one side of the picture. The other side of the picture reveals that in every society there are inhabitants that have their particular roles and positions, which demand a particular set of obligations and responsibilities that have to be performed by them. Moreover, in a collective life, there are rules and regulations that are required to be followed and practiced and these rules and regulations basically ensure harmony within the society. The citizens are required to respect these rules and regulations and are responsible to practice them. Having performed those responsibilities there can be an environment where the rights are protected and peace and tranquility are maintained.
Within a family it can be observed that if the parents perform their responsibilities properly and guard the rights of their children, the children in return would be responsible beings. They would then protect the rights of their parents. It is weird if the parents themselves do not perform their responsibilities but expect the children to be aware enough to safeguard the rights of others.
It, however, should be noted that the awareness regarding their rights and responsibilities should be inculcated within the individuals by the society and its institutions. A society that is well-managed and properly ruled does have the mechanism that ensures that the citizens are vigilant enough to have basic and necessary understanding of their rights and obligations. They are first taught these concepts in their families and then their schools, colleges, universities and other social and political institutions play a major role in making citizens civilized enough to practice their responsibilities and demand their due privileges.
The problem with Afghan society is that most of the people do not have proper understanding of their rights and responsibilities and the necessary connection between them. From a common man to the country’s leaders, there are only few who properly fulfill their responsibilities. The citizens expect the government to provide them all the facilities, while the authoritative people and the leaders consider that they have their positions so as to satisfy their own motives and goals. They forget that they have to provide different services to the people and defend their rights.
The institutions on the other hand do not have proper management and leadership and thus they are not in the position that they should guide their members and the people so as to become better citizens. Most of the families do not have enough facilities, education and awareness to nourish their children properly and turn them into responsible citizens. The social institutions are dominated by the people who consider wealth, influence and family status as replacements for merit. Therefore, they do not consider themselves answerable to others and, therefore, are not responsible to them. Same is the case with the political institutions. They are not developed and advance enough to promulgate democratic norms and culture and, as a result, are unable to nurture the politicians properly and make them more vigilant towards their rights and duties.
It is a crying need of time that the whole society goes through a process of transformation. From individual to the collective life, people must understand their rights and duties and make efforts to fulfill their duties and demand their due rights. Most importantly, there should be awareness campaigns launched wherein the people are given the basic understanding of civic life. The institutions must have effective rules and regulations that are properly communicated to the people and their worth is clarified for them so that they get the motivation to follow them and as a result get trained to pursue the similar kind of civilized life within the society, as well. They require to understand that the responsibilities that they perform, in fact, guarantee others’ rights.