The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948. At the time, the United States voted in favor of the Declaration. The Declaration consists of 30 Articles. I am confident that since its creation, as a country, we have steadily worked to advance Human Rights. But today, (to me), it feels like we have renounced, (in thought, word, and/or deed), the entire Preamble and a majority of the Articles; (most conspicuously of late, Articles 1, 2, 7, 9, 13, 14, 18, 19, and 27). Instead of progress, we regress. But I don't believe responsibility lies solely within the current party in power, nor with any single individual. We have nurtured this monster for decades and as it grows and continues to flourish we find ourselves in this dark, lonely moment in which Human Rights are secondary to rowdy populism and divisive politics. I am sad.

At the time Jacques Maritain, (one of the notables in the creation of the Universal Declaration), remarked.

At one of the meetings of a Unesco National Commission where Human Rights were being discussed, someone expressed astonishment that certain champions of violently opposed ideologies had agreed on a list of those rights. "Yes," they said, "we agree about the rights but on condition that no one asks us why."

Today we are so caught up in "why" that we are unable to see, (much less articulate, understand, or act on), the invaluable necessity of Human Rights. I am sad.

These entanglements with "why" of course create divisive relativistic circumstance making it difficult, (if not nearly impossible), to reach common ground. Difficult, because instead of agreeing on reasonable human rights, we argue over subjective truth. Nietzsche said, "There are no facts, only interpretations." I do not agree with Nietzsche. Last week I made a case for reason and I believe reason will ultimately triumph. But in this moment interpretation has shoved reason aside and subjective truth rules the playground. There is no common ground when opposing factions all believe theirs is the higher ground.

I am sad.