It seems that one of the most important articles is this one, as all the others can be derived from it.
It is different in this way from the first of the Ten Commandments. Can you name the first commandment? Perhaps you are thinking, "Thou shalt not kill"? It isn't. The first commandment is: “Thou shalt have no other god but me”.
This is because the Ten Commandments are from a time when there were many competing religions. In that context, it was important to separate the new religion from the others, and the first commandment reflects that wish.
The first article of the declaration is also of its time. It was adopted on December 10, 1948, shortly after the end of the Second World War. © Ece AK. Photo CC.
In that war, as is well known, mankind's inhumanity to man reached new depths. We saw new weapons of mass destruction and new mechanisms for mass murder. The world did not want to see such things again and the declaration reflects that wish.
Now there is war in Europe again. This time in Ukraine, and estimates suggest that more than 300,000 have died in only a year.
So, in our time, the declaration is still relevant.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Gary.
This article has been published as part of the Podcast'Inc project, which is funded under the Erasmus+ program of the European Union.