The United States of America celebrates Independence Day tomorrow. The achievements in many areas from science to engineering to medicine to business to the liberal arts have been quite spectacular. The universe has been explored like never before as recent photographs from the Hubble Telescope and the Cassini Mission to Saturn confirm. Diseases have been conquered. Wealth has been created beyond anyone’s imagination. To all the people involved directly or indirectly in this magnificent journey, we pay a humble tribute and wish that the next century would be even more exciting, challenging, and purposeful.

What does freedom mean to ordinary individuals? Does it mean freedom of speech, expression, and choice? As a young democracy, India has to learn a lot more in terms of striking a balance between the rights of individuals and the overall good of society and the nation. One of the major political parties has called for a nation-wide strike to protest against an incident that has happened in one state. Another set of parties is scheduled to call a similar strike to protest against rising prices.

The people most affected by such “forced stoppages of work” are also the most vulnerable sections of society – the daily wage earners, the small vendors, and the micro-entrepreneur. Is this an acceptable definition of freedom? The irony is that all this happens despite the highest court of the country having pronounced such strikes as illegal as they impinge on the rights of others.

Given the context, is it not time for us to also think of a universal set of obligations? David Resnik’s eight principles may form a good starting point:

• Non-malificence: Do not harm yourself or other people


• Beneficence: Help yourself and other people


• Autonomy: Allow rational individuals to make free and informed choices


• Justice: Treat people fairly; treat equals equally; unequals unequally.


• Utility: Maximize the ratio of benefits to harms for all people


• Fidelity: Keep your promises and agreements


• Honesty: Do not lie, defraud, deceive or mislead


• Privacy: Respect personal privacy and confidentiality

It is possible to debate the meaning of some of the terms. It is also possible that we would often face situations where one line of action, while upholding a principle, would contradict another. When faced with such dilemmas, after gathering information and exploring different options, a balanced decision could be made by evaluating the options in relation to the principles. This process has been called “moral reasoning” leading to a state of “reflective equilibrium” or balanced judgment.

Such an approach assumes significance in light of what we witness almost every day. Taking the lives of others whatever be the espoused cause or reason, violates the first principle. As a community, we have become so selfish that the thought of helping others rarely crosses our minds. State ownership of critical sectors robs people the right of informed choice. Justice is denied because it is delayed beyond reason. We have cases of thousands of people languishing in prison for over a decade without a trial. The rich and famous can get away with anything or so it seems.

Ten years after a fancy car mowed down a number of people sleeping on the pavement, we are yet to see justice delivered. Laws are enacted keeping in view “vote banks” rather than the welfare of the nation as a whole. Political parties make grand promises at the time of elections. The moment elections are over, the promises are conveniently forgotten. As for honesty, the less said the better. As a former prime minister once remarked rather (in) famously, corruption is a global phenomenon. And thanks to technology, every move that we make can be tracked.

Isn’t it time, even as we celebrate the spirit of freedom and all the positive attributes that freedom brings to individuals and to society, for us to ponder about our obligations as well and ensure that our duties and our rights always go in tandem?