Vytautas Landsbergis, the first head of state of post-Soviet Lithuania, discusses human rights and freedom in the context of political leadership. He argues that human rights should not be considered a European cultural heritage, but a universal concept that applies to everyone, regardless of nationality and race. Landsbergis argues that lofty declarations supported by hundreds of signatories are far from enough to make universal human rights a viable reality. What is needed, he explains, is human compassion, as well a new philosophy on life.