When Did Democracy Become A Superstition?
Democracy — wasn’t it supposed to be a “government of the people, by the people, for the people”? Or am I fully mad?
Democracy was supposed to give us leadership that we chose, for our betterment. But, almost too easily, we let the government describe what our betterment means.
If you ask them, our most pressing problems are not health or education, it’s not equality or connectedness.
If you ask them, what’s holding us back are fake history and hostile others, weak leadership and denial of eugenics-level privileges.
Hence, every solution is top-down. Put
Where did we become so full of superstition that we now think of elected leaders as demi-gods, or even full-fledged ones?
Oh wait, there you go — superstition. That’s what it is. And that’s what’s always been there, since way, way before we had any form of government. Pray to the god of thunder, prostrate yourself before the god of wealth, gain the blessings of the god of war, and then if you’re lucky, the god of death may spare you.
When things are out of our hands — pray, believe, keep the faith.
And, I’ll admit, apropos of itself there’s nothing wrong in that. When you cannot do anything more, then prayer is the last comfort.
Last comfort.
Last.
Not first.
Not only.
Feeling ill? Get help, get fit. Facing death? Then pray.
Miscommunication? Talk it out. Don’t bother praying.
Almost every situation we’ll face during a lifetime can be resolved with action and words. None can be solved by prayer. (If you’re offended by that, I’m even willing to say “nearly none” if you promise to keep reading.)
If you make prayer your first resort for everything, then you’re a fool who doesn’t think yourself capable of tackling a situation that, frankly, is overwhelmingly insignificant in the annals of the universe.
“What’s the harm in a little belief?” you might ask. Well, let me tell you. The harm is that once you’ve given yourself entirely over to a higher power, you have robbed yourself of any worth as a human being.
Bringing it back to government — why do you want to reduce your only role in a vast and potentially wonderful society to just a f***ing finger pressing a button once every few years?
Is that all you want to be? Is that all you think you’re good for?
You wouldn’t rather be a voice, a brain, a conscience? There’s nothing in your heart or your eyes? If I just cut off that finger and threw the rest of you in a river, would it not make any difference to society?
Government should be an empowered body for coordination, for surveying, for allocating, for security. That’s it.
Government should not be telling you how to choose your friends, who to buy from, where to conduct your charity.
A leader shouldn’t be one who trashes you for your own good (and believe me, they are you in the future). You shouldn’t need them to wake you up and put you to sleep.
You need a government that works for you, not the other way around. One that mends divisions, not exploit them.
A government’s job is not to fight wars, but to broker peace.
A government’s job is not to work in secrecy in national interest.
A government’s job is not to say you’re the best nation, but to share goodness and greatness globally.
A government’s job is neither to make history nor to write it.
A government’s job is only to administrate for everyone’s common present and future interests.
Unfortunately, citizens of democratic nations have moved so far away from this ideal that we are indistinguishable from the monarchies we were supposed to replace with an accountable system.
The world over we have elected deities whose job is only to possess a painted on halo while being utterly unable to fight real threats, like a virus, because we have only ever cheered them for tilting at windmills.
Think of society like a marriage between people who need to make things work. When things aren’t smooth, who do want to approach for a solution? The father of one of them? Unless you’re a weirdo, or live at least two centuries in the past, this is not going to work. You want a professional, a counsellor, someone who wants the solution that works for both of you; not someone who wants to talk about their halcyon days and why you will always be a disappointment.
We have all been drawn in by bullshit threats and bullshit solutions, that now we can only hope that banging the voting button rapidly and in panic will somehow save us.
If that’s what you’re feeling, I’m sorry to tell you it’s already too late. That’s not how you’ll save democracy, or society, or yourself. You’ll save yourself by saving yourself from superstitions.
Strong leaders are just a superstition. And most often, whether as first or last resort, superstitions just don’t work.
