Today is Women’s Day in South Africa.

It is hard not to think about it today. And, it is hard not to write about it today.

Seth Godin had a powerful post a couple of years ago on rights that I thought I should share in full:

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Human rights might be our species’ greatest invention.

More than phones or trains or Milky Way bars, our incremental progress toward dignity, opportunity and equality is a miracle.

Rights aren’t a decision we make when we’re in the mood or it’s easy. They’re the bedrock of our culture, our economy and our way of life.

Of course, they’re inconvenient sometimes. That’s precisely why we have to work so hard to defend them.

Deep down, I think each of us understands how much a culture based on dignity is worth. But sometimes, we need to remind each other to stay vigilant, and to keep what our mothers and grandfathers worked so hard for.

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I think the most important word in that post is invention. Just as we invented human rights, we also invented nations, religions, races and creeds.

Sawubona, demonstrates that when we acknowledge each other, we all have more in common than we often recognise.

The emancipation of women is the emancipation of all of us.

Happy Women’s Day.