Sometimes I find my mind wandering over various eclectic topics and
occasionally I am inspired to write some of them down. Today I was thinking about democracy.
This is a topic which could be discussed and debated
at length so I will try to keep what I have to say succinct and short.
There
seems to be an inherent issue with democracy. And to my mind it is that those
in power have never truly grasped the concept – either through a lack of intelligence
or a surfeit of arrogance.
When
it first began to disseminate through society, those in power presumably
thought they would be able to control it – through entities such as ‘rotten
boroughs’ etc. Consequently those in power continue to fail to adequately and
appropriately respond when faced with the voice of the people. They fail to listen
to this crucial voice; presumably believing the people will do as their told. This
is nothing new but in this modern age with the freedom of information etc it is
less practical and less acceptable.
People
will not be controlled but they will be heard – particularly in case of injustice
and inequality - as has been demonstrated in the past by the suffragettes and
by the more recent protests.
Democracy
(from its original Greek origins) literally means ‘rule of the commoners’ and
it should mean just that. If you are going to institute a democratic government
then the voice of the people must be heard – otherwise it contradicts its own
existence.
In
a true democracy the voice of the people must be heeded and in the modern
society cannot be ignored and the best response ultimately as to hear out those
disenchanted with the current political paths being taken. If that means
accepting that mistakes have been made and taking appropriate action then so be
it but persisting with a flawed and unsubstantiated course of action can only
lead to disaster.
A dictatorial leader should not be and is not accepted in modern day society. Any attempt to be so can and is being countered if it contravenes basic upheld laws and statutes. One such applicable ‘law’ in the current political situation is the Declaration of Independence which states that "…when a long train of abuses and usurpations…evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty to throw off such government and provide new guards for their future security." Ergo if a dictatorial leader wants absolute control and attempts to exercise said control in an oppressive way then it is the ‘duty’ of the people to object. To ignore, disregard or, worse, ridicule these objections is tantamount to incitement. Indeed, history suggests that doing so can only result in one outcome – see England 1649, France 1789 and Russia
However, as John Lennon said “When
it gets down to having to use violence, then you are playing the system’s game.
The establishment will irritate you – pull your beard, flick your face – to make
you fight. Because once they’ve got you violent, then they know how to handle
you. The only thing they don’t know how to handle is non-violence and humor.”
Ergo
violence is not the answer as by getting violent you give your opponents
ammunition, you sink to their level and you play their game. But likewise neither
is arrogance, ignorance or disregard of widely held standpoints the
solution.
