Thoughts on Democracy

 

This is the first principle of democracy: that the essential things in men are the things they hold in common, not the things they hold separately. And the second principle is merely this: that the political instinct or desire is one of these things which they hold in common. Falling in love is more poetical than dropping into poetry. The democratic contention is that government ... is a thing like falling in love, and not a thing like dropping into poetry. It is not something analogous to playing the church organ, painting on vellum,..., being Astronomer Royal, and so on. For these things we do not wish a man to do at all unless he does them well. It is, on the contrary, a thing analogous to writing one's own love-letters or blowing one's own nose. These things we want a man to do for himself, even if he does them badly. .... In short, the democratic faith is this: that the most terribly important things must be left to ordinary men themselves--the mating of the sexes, the rearing of the young, the laws of the state. This is democracy; and in this I have always believed. ”

― G.K. Chesterton

I am a democrat because I believe in the Fall of Man. I think most people are democrats for the opposite reason. A great deal of democratic enthusiasm descends from the ideas of people like Rousseau, who believed in democracy because they thought mankind so wise and good that everyone deserved a share in the government. The danger of defending democracy on those grounds is that they are not true. And whenever their weakness is exposed, the people who prefer tyranny make capital out of the exposure. I find that they're not true without looking further than myself. I don't deserve a share in governing a henroost, much less a nation. Nor do most people - all the people who believe advertisements, and think in catchwords and spread rumors. The real reason for democracy is just the reserve. Mankind is so fallen that no man can be trusted with unchecked power over his fellows...."

― C.S. Lewis

"Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is a force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action."

― George Washington

So Much for Self Determination

Western democracies have been known to tout self determination as a value, but history tells another story. Were the Palestinians given a say about their future when the state of Israel was established by foreign powers?

Consider what happened to Hungary.

In a speech marking the occasion in the Hungarian Parliament, President János Áder reminded his countrymen that:

In 1920, Hungary lost two-thirds of its territory. Its population shrank from 18 million to 7.5 million. More than three million Hungarians were left as minorities in neighbouring countries. Romania alone gained more territory than Hungary had left. A significant part of our cereal-growing areas, 90 percent of our forests, and two-thirds of our rail network were ceded to neighbouring countries.

The dissonance between political rhetoric and the Palestinian and the Hungarian reality is as striking as the dissonance between the slogan of "justice for all" and the dehumanizing effects of systemic poverty, racism, and violence.

In the USA, the killing of George Floyd was the match to the tinder. It is naive to believe that a political party can fix these problems. The virtue signaling of politicians on right and left simply exacerbates the turmoil. To stand in front of a church holding a Bible demeans both church and sacred Scripture. It also demeans the office to which the person has been elected.

Citizens of the United States of America should look seriously at themselves and their elected leaders. Either we will determine for ourselves what kind of society we want to be, or foreign powers will gladly do that for us.


Relate Reading: A Bitter Centenary for the Hungarian People; Anarchy and the Elites; What Are American Ideals?