PREAMBLE TO THE DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family
is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the
conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and
freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and
oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,
Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in
the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to
promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion
of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of
this pledge,
Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common
standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society,
keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights
and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective
recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of
territories under their jurisdiction.
The "Declaration of Interdependence”
By Melanie Bacon
We hold these truths to be self-evident:
That all life is interconnected, and endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights
and responsibilities,
That among these are presence, compassion, and the pursuit of happiness.
That to secure these rights and responsibilities,
We open our minds and hearts to the needs of others, and our own true needs,
We hear the sound of the living universe in our ears, and add our voices to the song,
We live every moment with awareness of the purity and power of existence.
And for the support of this Declaration, we pledge to each other our love and our breath,
For the freedom of the one is the freedom of the all, and the pain of the one is the pain of
the all;
The breath of the one is the breath of the all, and the breath of the all is the breath of
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Philosophy of Spiritual Service: SEVA
Seva is a spirit of love, an expanded understanding of realty of oneness, a state of
consciousness in which the we recognize or at least begin to recognize that the Self
in me is the same as the Self in the other; and that by serving the other and
worshipping the other and loving the other and caring for the other-- I serve,
worship, care for and love my own Self; and in both cases, the server and the
served, both are God.
Seva is giving without restriction, giving without calculation, giving without care of
recognition; giving because giving feels the most natural thing to do …Seva is the
Sankalpa or intention of the divine Self seated within that feels kinship with God
and experiences oneness and intrinsic interconnectedness with all of God’s
creation.
An insecure mind or tired body cannot shake the arising Seva consciousness in wise
souls. The performance of Seva unleashes an inner Shakti that is like that of a
thousand suns. The service of even one hungry, helpless, homeless being or animal
in need awakens the sleeping God within, that blesses us again and again, in ways
untold, unheard and unimagined.
~Pratichi Mathur
QUOTATIONS ON SERVICE
"Your life and mine should be valued not by what we take... but by what we give."
-- Edgar Allen
"What is the essence of life? To serve others and to do good."
-- Aristotle
“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”
-- Edmond Burke
"Service to a just cause rewards the worker with more real happiness and satisfaction than any other venture of
life."
-- Carrie Chapman Catt
"I believe that to meet the challenge of our times, human beings will have to develop a greater sense of
universal responsibility. We must all learn to work not just for our own self, family, or nation but for the benefit
of all humankind. Universal responsibility is the key to human survival. It is the best foundation for world peace,
the equitable use of natural resources, and through concern for future generations, the proper care of the
environment."
-- The Dalai Lama
"If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain. If I can ease one life the aching, or cool one pain, or
help one fainting robin unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain."
-- Emily Dickinson
"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without
helping himself."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I am only one, But still I am one. I cannot do everything, But still I can do something; And because I cannot do
everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."
-- Edward Everett
QUOTATIONS ON SERVICE
"The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others."
-- Mahatma Gandhi
"May I never get too busy in my own affairs that I fail to respond to the needs of others with kindness and compassion."
-- Thomas Jefferson
"Whenever you are to do a thing, though it can never be known but to yourself, ask yourself how you would act were all the world
looking at you and act accordingly."
-- Thomas Jefferson
“It is from the numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal
or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other
from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of
oppression and resistance.”
-- Robert F. Kennedy
“Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve.”
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.
“I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who
have sought and found how to serve.”
-- Albert Schweitzer
"A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer."
-- Seneca
"I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy, I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that service is joy. "
-- Rabindranath Tagore
“The most satisfying thing in life is to have been able to give a large part of one's self to others. “
-- Pierre Teilhard De Chardin
“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. “
-- Mother Teresa
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