I can't quite put my finger on what I see as a terrible mistake or misunderstanding carried out by mankind with  human rights and freedoms  as it relates to the whole world around us. Perhaps after I write this I'll get it worked out.

Human rights at least as I understood them growing up, meant doing your thing as long as you didn't harm others. You had the freedom to travel, invent, start a business, own property, have a family or not, go swimming in public lakes and rivers, go camping , boating, hike through the woods, sit outside while enjoying a drink and maybe a cigarette. You had the right to seek medical attention, had the right to administer it, depending on your training and abilities. You could go to the park play a game of anything, play some street hockey. You were allowed to park your car down town near the store you were visiting or other business you needed to attend to.  

As a kid every summer, I would carry a knife or my hatchet for longer hikes. In the woods, I would find the best branches to make a bow and arrow.  A couple of times I would go target shooting with a pellet rifle. One summer we even had pellet rifle wars with other kids. Was fun but didn't last long as the sting quickly changed your mind about continuing.

We experimented with drugs, if we got caught, the drugs were removed from us and we would get a slap on the wrist by the authorities and an ass whipping by our parents or older siblings. We'd engage in dangerous activities like rock climbing without equipment or training or we might jump off of high bridges. Once we tried to swim across a lake. When we got to the middle we were all out of breath. We knew we were in terrible danger. I decided to take a break by treading water and low and behold there was a sand bar just high enough to let us rest.

I remember taking my dad's tools, buying ten inch spikes and riding my bike to the Rouge river twenty miles away. Me and a friend built a bridge that summer by cutting trees and binding them with found rope.  On the other side we found an old abandoned oil tank, capped it, then used it to float down the river.  Hungry and thirsty we came upon an old farm house, helped ourselves to the hose, picked some apples and garden vegetables and went home.


Many weekends we would either take the bus for ten cents to the horse back stables. The people there knew us and for five bucks we all got a horse for two hours without supervision. Great times.

Now think about how the world is today with all the rules and regulations, taxation and fees for just about everything.  All the adventures and learning I did as a kid would be practically impossible today.  If  a  kid came home dirty and dishevelled with a hatchet holstered on one side while carrying a home made bow and arrow or worse a pellet rifle,  WOW!  You'd have people freaking out calling the police. The kid would be arrested, his parents charged with neglect. 

An investigation would be carried out.  An environmental assessment would be ordered into the biological effects caused by the downing of the trees and floating an old  oil drum down the river.  The farmer would require compensation for lost inventory involving the mitigation of the agricultural department.

The Horse ranch owners would be charged with carrying on an unlawful business and possible animal cruelty. The horses would have to be inspected by government sourced vets. 
The SWAT team would have joined our game of pellet wars and kicked our asses, leading to gun charges and unlawful discharge of  firearms. 
As far as I'm concerned the world is upside down and it is only going to get worse.  We have designated seating on streets and parks. Designated parking for cars and bikes. Designated swimming along water ways. Designated bike paths where ever you go. Designated smoking areas, somewhere  in the South Pole. Designated crack pipe centres. Designated camp sites with a book of rules thrown at you. 

We have designated parks with designated fields played on by designated teams who have paid their designated fees and paid for all the designated health and safety courses.

Every one is entitled to free health care, that is, the health care the system will provide and God help you if you seek private health care outside the mandate of the government. They'll call you a "Consevative" or a greedy asshole.  No, don't try and free up some resources by seeking out a higher quality of care with your own money. No, no, no. That's reserved for government employees who with upgraded health care plans have it paid for by that greedy son of a bitch conservative who would like to buy it for himself. 

I think I finally put my finger on it.  Bullshit!