Democracy is dependant upon multiple factors if it is to be effective and lead to
the calm and free life its citizens have in mind when they think about their
freedom, personal lives, and opportunities.
It cannot function in the absence of some factors-- at the very least it will distort,
and become less effective and more likely to tilt in favor of one group or another.
Of all the necessary factors, it seems there are three MOST important are:
1. An educated population
2. A responsible population
3. A respectful population
If any of these are lacking, the freedom democracy is designed to provide will
deteriorate.
Today, we are suffering some serious issues within our democratic nation
because of lack in each of these three areas. They are not lacking in everyone,
probably not even in MOST people, but their lack makes itself known in every
area where it is significant.
Of the three factors, education is probably by far the most important. Educated
people are more able to be responsible, and more likely to be respectful because
of their awareness of the needs and experiences of others, and because they
have learned, through education, to problem solve and see different ways of
looking at life. Thus, they are more able to cooperate and work with others to
find the best result when faced with a complicated problem. Furthermore,
educated people are able to see when things are not going in a positive direction,
and are more likely to sound the alarm when things begin to go awry. If a person
has no knowledge that a certain way of living didn't work in the past, what would
make them hesitate to try it again? If, on the other hand, through education they
have learned the downside of some patterns of living, they would be more likely
to say "wait a minute, let's consider some other options before we dive into this
way of living and interacting".
Currently, we have a dearth of education in our country-- not because most
people choose to be uneducated, but because education has become less and
less available on many levels. Often, schools are filled with bullies and
uncivilized people who intimidate other students and make it difficult or
impossible for them to do well and find the talents they would discover in a more
positive school environment. An offshoot of this issue is that many children learn
to hate school and dont want to pursue higher education. Another is that many
parents try home schooling, and limit the exposure of their children, not only to
other children, but also to information that might round out their education. They
tend instead to reinforce dogmas they have adopted in their lives, but which give
their children no educational benefits. After all, education is designed to broaden
the lives of a child, not just reinforce whatever biases the parents have
developed over the years. Often these biases are the result of fears that haven&t
been addressed; bad information they received either as adults, or children; or
just a bad attitude that will add no dimension of maturity or problem solving to the
childs life. In any case, it appears that children who are educated at home have
a more difficult time interacting with others as adults, so this makes it more
difficult for them to participate in cooperative problem solving than they might
have been had they interacted with a variety of ideas and personalities
throughout their early school years.
Furthermore, we tend to let education go when we become adults, finding it too
difficult to keep up with the things that really matter in this information age
where we are bombarded with facts that have no bearing on our lives in equal
measure with those that make all the difference.
And often, students who would dearly love to go to college are denied the
opportunity due to the extremely high costs involved, and a lack of confidence
that the years of schooling they are paying for will lead to years of productive,
money-making opportunities. Often, people train for a position that pays very
little, or that only exists for a few years. This is discouraging to those who are
deciding how much money and effort they should put into an education. So the
idea of education becomes one of luxury rather than necessity. And perhaps
education WON'T make getting a job easier, or more likely; but it WILL ALWAYS
enlarge the person who is educated and make their lives more productive and
enhance their ability to live effectively in society.
When a person doesnt have an education, including at least some classes
beyond high school, their problem-solving skills can suffer, and this allows them
to sink into a poor me syndrome. If you cant figure out any way to improve
your life, or make things happen that seem necessary, you can easily get
discouraged and give up. Right on the heels of this decision comes the desire--
even the need-- to blame someone for the situation. And of course, the easiest
target is always the government. Why doesnt the government do more for me?Why doesnt the government do less for these people who get welfare and
assistance all the time? Etc., etc. If you are not able to see how to solve a
problem, you will almost ALWAYS blame someone-even if on some level, you
believe it's your fault, you will still blame some one else and wish they would
figure out a better overall situation, thus enhancing your chances for success.
So the second great requirement for a democracy is the willingness to take
responsibility for yourself and your world. People who are free can either
contribute or take away from the quality of life for themselves, their families, and
their neighborhoods. Those who accept this responsibility and act in the best
interests of all of the above enjoy a much different life than those who neglect
their own health or other aspects of their personal lives, neglect their families, or
show no consideration for their neighbors or neighborhoods. This lack of
responsibility shows up in many forms. If you expect to be able to do nothing
and have other members of your family or neighborhood take up the slack for
you, while you are able bodied and capable, you are not being responsible.
Those around you become resentful, and difficulties ensue. If you throw trash
around, believing it is someone else's job to pick it up, you are not being
responsible. If you believe it is someone else's job to take care of the earth, you
are not being responsible. And the same goes for the government. If you
believe it is someone else's job to vote, to study the issues and make informed
decisions about them, and to spread information about what is going on, you are
not being responsible. What if things don't develop in a way that creates a
positive result for your life? Can you honestly say you did everything you could
to support the decision that was not made, or do you just complain because
"they" didn't think it through well enough? If the population is not informed, the
population will be duped by those who have their own agenda. An informed
population won't let that happen. Again, education is the key, but education
cannot inform if people do not choose to be informed. Hopefully, education
encourages people to stay informed, and allows them the tools to do so more
effectively. And with that knowledge and those tools, blaming someone else for
difficulties becomes less appealing. It can then be seen for what it is: a
roadblock to more positive experiences.
And I am fully aware there is a plethora of misinformation, much of it intentional;
and there is just SO MUCH information that it is difficult to sort through it all.
However, we are in a situation where it is critical to stay informed, and we cannot
let the efforts of those with the power and desire to do so maintain control of the
information we read and consider. We also cannot allow the opinions of those
who THINK they know what they are talking about override our personal
research and ideas. Sometimes there are those we can trust, but often, unless
we look at "the facts" on our own, we will not have the information we need to
make a responsible, useful decision.
And the third important component of a democratic society is respect. Without
respect for other's ideas, needs, and situations, we cannot structure a democracy
that works for everyone. As it turns out, at the present time, we are in a crisis
with regard to respect. People are just angry, and want to blame SOMEONE--
ANYONE!!! But this will only make matters worse. The less respect we show to
those around us, the greater the likelihood that THEY will become angry and pull
things even further in a different direction. Respect requires listening, actually
HEARING what other people are saying. As we shout louder and louder at one
another, our ability to hear diminishes proportionately. Our emotions take over
and we become completely immersed in them, as opposed to engaging in a civil
dialogue with other rational human beings.
So right now, what do we have? We have a LARGE percentage of our
population who are less educated than they would like to be, or need to be to act
as effective citizens. We have too large a percentage of our children who are
home schooled or undereducated in the public and private school system;
making them less capable of thinking outside the scope of their parent's
perspective, and possibly less informed regarding democracy and civil interaction
than they should be. They also do not interact with others in a way that prepares
them to participate in a healthy democracy. They can perhaps function in a given
task or profession, possibly; but they are not prepared, typically, for the kind of
interaction that is required to problem solve in a city or even a complex
neighborhood. And there are many other students who just drop out of school,
either because of financial reasons ( parents working and not supervising their
daily activities could come under this category as well) or emotional reasons- -
(bullying, or drugs, abuses, etc). And even for students who stay in school,
often, the classes needed to prepare an individual to live in a democracy are not
available to them. There are few schools still offering debate and "civics"-- a
class that discusses the responsibilities and organization of national and local
government entities, and how they impact our lives. These classes should be
mandatory for every child to obtain a high school diploma, but many schools
don't even have a teacher who could answer basic questions about these
subjects, let alone teach an interesting and provocative class that would
stimulate students to take an interest in their local and national government
activities.
This lack of education has caused many people to make the government the
"other". It's "them", not US!! But isn’t democracy is "Of the people, By the
people and For the people"? It is not some strange entity that's trying to control
our lives!! It is US making decisions together about how we want life to work--
unless we turn it into something else by ignoring what is happening or abdicating
our responsibility to some one else.
If the government is “OF the people”, that means it is created by us--WE make
up the laws we want to have govern us-- WE send to congress the people we
believe will represent OUR best interests. WE watch them, we listen to what
they say, and we demand that they LISTEN TO US!! We elected them, we have
no voice but theirs in a congressional setting. If they are enacting things that are
NOT in our best interests, we need to speak up, and put them on notice.
“BY the people” means just that-- we, as individuals, have as much right to an
opinion as anyone else. We have as much right to run for office as anyone else.
We have has much right to change the laws as anyone else. ONLY if we pay
attention and act, however, does any of that matter. NO ONE is going to
force you to be involved, and NO ONE is going to act in your behalf unless they
hear from you. Will you speak up, get involved in good causes and work toward
better understanding, or will you sit back and blame others and become more
and more angry and hateful?
“FOR the people” indicates that what is happening in our government is
supposed to HELP US-- MAKE OUR LIVES BETTER, MAKE OUR COUNTRY A
BEAUTIFUL, LOVELY, SAFE PLACE TO LIVE. We work together with others
in our neighborhoods, our state, and our nation to make things work for
everyone-- in so much as possible. But currently, our government, and the
laws WE have allowed to be enacted seem more to support a very FEW people,
than all the people. It appears we have changed our national focus from being
OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE AND FOR THE PEOPLE to being OF THE
CORPORATIONS, BY THE CORPORATIONS, AND FOR THE
CORPORATIONS. There is little in the law that protects me and my family, but
there is a great deal that protects corporations and their right to continue to
control things. How did this happen? I am sure there is blame to go around for
everyone, including every one of us who has not kept abreast of the legislation
over the last 20 years, and the slide to the right that has made owning a
corporation an amazing adventure in America, and being an average working
person an increasingly difficult experience with growing insecurity. But one thing
is clear, we have lost a lot of our power, and we CANNOT GET IT BACK BY
SUPPORTING THE PEOPLE WHO OWN AND LOVE CORPORATIONS, WHO
MAKE MONEY, BY CHEATING OTHER PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR FAIR
SHARE.
And because government has begun to "tilt" toward one group at the expense of
others, we have come to believe government is not to be trusted. Instead of
saying, "it's time I took part in the government" many are saying it's time for a
NEW government-- well what does that mean? If our government was designed
to be “of the people, by the people, and for the people”, how are we going to
come up with a better program? We probably can't, but we CAN begin to
participate in this government designed to give us a voice,-- to question,
make suggestions, and do a bit of follow up to see what is happening, and
why. Those who advocate just throwing it all out have given up and want to
blame rather than take responsibility, and become involved. Obviously, we are
busy, we have a limited amount of time to devote to the governing of our nation,
but we probably have more time for it than we are currently giving, and we waste
that time doing things that don't really matter nearly so much. It's a matter of
habit, and of pacing ourselves so we can participate without raising our blood
pressure to the boiling point from sheer frustration.
There are people in our nation today who believe we would be better off with a
"dictator". They are willing to vote for a "dictator". Why? because of the three
things listed in this message.
1. Ignorance, or lack of education. They simply haven't thought enough about
how the government works, and why it currently ISN'T working in their behalf to
know how foolish that would be. Donald Trump supporters say he will "fix"
everything. NO ONE CAN FIX EVERYTHING-- except a dictator, and he would
fix everything to suit himself, not the general population. It would be a matter of
taking the government that is currently being bought by corporations, and giving
it directly to those corporations. No money would even have to change hands,
and the laws enacted under that system would CERTAINLY not be in the best
interest of the average American citizen. They would ALL support the goals of
the corporations.
2. Responsibility. We each have issues or situations in our lives we would like to
modify. There are several ways to go about this. One is to deny there is a
problem--simply pretend nothing is wrong, that you like your life as it is (battered
wives who believe their husband is just one moment away from reforming, or
young people who pretend they don't care when they are bullied and become
more and more withdrawn, just tuning everyone out. etc., etc.).
Another is to blame others. "If only my boss weren't so rude and selfish, I
wouldn't steal the office supplies", “if only the neighborhood were better, I'd clean
up my yard, but what's the point?" If only my wife took better care of herself, I
wouldn't cheat on her", etc. etc. Each of these leaves a bitter taste in the mouth
and a sense of helplessness that allows the blamer to feel justified in NOT
solving the problem rather than looking for a positive solution.
And the third approach is to say "I am not happy with the current situation. What
tools and options do I have that I can use to make some changes?" This is
taking responsibility. It doesn't change your boss, your neighborhood, or your
spouse, but it does change you, and you begin to see your life in a whole new
light. What if the universe gave you your particular situation just as a “challenge”
to see what you would do with it? If you knew that for sure, would you use
drugs? Cheat on your wife or husband? Steal from your boss? Of course you
wouldn't! You would put on your thinking cap, and look around you at the
endless possibilities that DON’T INVOLVE CRIME and you would find solutions
that made sense and that you could work with to make your life and the world
around you better. You wouldn’t spend a minute blaming others, but you would
roll up your sleeves and acknowledge that “by cracky”, I’m up to this!!
So long as we look at the government as "the other", the "problem", something to
blame for everything that's wrong with our lives and our society, we will NEVER
be able to improve it-- or ourselves. We will just get more and more frustrated
and angry and less and less able to think or see solutions that are staring us in
the face. The people who are the most angry, who are ready to elect a dictator
to change the government are still in the "blaming" mindset that leaves them
feeling helpless, abandoned, and afraid. Only a millisecond of changed thinking
is required to turn the whole scenario around. But when you listen, nonstop, to
negative, blaming, hateful rhetoric, you do not think in problem-solving terms.
You do not think about how you can help, how you can change, how you can
contribute to making the world a better place. And so the anger grows, the fear
grows, the lack of respect grows, and none of these present a positive
opportunity for real change.
WHEN YOU BLAME, YOU DON'T THINK ABOUT HOW YOU CAN HELP. YOU
ONLY THINK ABOUT HOW YOU CAN GET EVEN, OR BEAT SOMEONE ELSE
OUT OF WHAT YOU PERCEIVE AS THEIR ADVANTAGE OVER YOU. If we
allow our society to sink into this drivel, we will NOT be a democracy any more.
We will fill our streets and neighborhoods with anarchy, chaos, a police state,
and a dictator of some stripe, who will see to it that we are all treated "equally"--
equally badly. There is NO PROGRESS in blaming, hating, and looking for some
"savior" to step in and take over. Whenever democratic people relinquish
individual power and responsibility to a group or another person, the democracy
is over. It is no longer OF THE PEOPLE, it is of ONE PERSON. It is no longer
BY THE PEOPLE, it is “by” ONE PERSON. It is no longer FOR the people, it is
FOR ONE PERSON-- the one person who believes he is the savior, and to whom
foolish people have relinquished their power and free will. This is NOT
DEMOCRACY AT WORK! This is a group of frightened, intimidated people
caving in to foolishness because they haven't had the chance to take a civics
class to know how important their good works and thoughtful problem solving are
to making democracy work! Please!! Let’s get people talking, thinking and
problem
solving in ways that can make our country strong and our democracy work for
everyone. Every wobble we experience is brought on by our failure to mutually
accept responsibility for the well being of each member of our society. It is
simply in the best interest of every American citizen that we educate ourselves,
take responsibility for our government by contributing positive ideas and
thoughts, and by respecting the rights and needs of ALL AMERICANS. Listen.
Pay attention, identify fears and care—both about your own fears and the fears
of others! Then let’s put on our thinking caps and work together to create the
democracy we all desire so deeply!! It’s all up to us, and WE CAN DO IT!!
