It should go without question that every person is entitled to their own rights and freedoms, and it is no small issue when these rights and freedoms are threatened by a controlling tyranny. This is the reason the war against Nazi Germany in World War II was an important period in history, as it cemented the factor that human rights must always be fought for in any way.

In most cases, military forces are used to fight for human rights, and it is frankly obvious that one person does not have that firepower, so the question arises: what can one person do in the fight for human rights all over the globe?

While a singular person cannot make much of a powerful impact in the heat of battle, there are other ways a person can pitch in to make a difference, such as preaching to others to help fight the battle and appealing to an audience the idea of a future of equal rights. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” speech reminded the American Audience of what is at stake, and that they should rush in and stop the attacks from Nazi Germany on other nations, even though they are not necessarily involved in the battle. While Franklin D. Roosevelt was the president of the United States at the time (meaning an automatically higher value than the average citizen), this does not subside the fact that Roosevelt is a single person, and he was capable of reaching out to the American people, and promote the idea of fighting for the future of their four basic rights, which inevitably led to the ultimate defeat of Nazi Germany and maintaining the human rights.

While promoting the idea of fighting the battle for human rights is an effective way for a person to protect these rights, that is only half of it, for the other half is participating in the aforementioned fight for rights.

Fighting the battle alongside others effectively proves two things: that people can make a difference, and that the fight for basic human rights is a team effort. John F. Kennedy’s “Inaugural Congress” speech in 1961 helps support the claim that one should fight for their rights and others. While Kennedy’s speech did take place during the Cold War, that does not shy away from being a great example as to why fighting in the battle is an effective way to defend basic rights. “Ask not what your country can do for you––Ask what you can do for your country.” This quote exemplifies the previous claim by implying it in a subtle manner. Kennedy’s speech serves as a motivational invitation to fight for, rather than just fighting. It also pushes the listeners to realize the sake of future generations and that if they are not fighting for themselves or their neighbors of this generation, then they shall fight for their children and their children.

The effect one person can have in the battle for human rights is difficult to round to a specific decimal or fraction; however, that does not mean that the effect is small or does not exist, for that couldn’t be further from the truth. The effect one person has on this specific fight can vary, for it could either be the leading cause or a part of the whole result, that stems from the combined efforts of those who (as Kennedy would put it) are “unwilling to witness or permit the undoing of those human rights”. A single person can do something for these rights they have, and if they have the passion and the realization of the necessity of these rights in other parts of the globe, then it is fully possible to help reach this cause.

—Aon Alkhass