For six years I have been on the outside of politics, voting, and democracy. It frustrates me a great deal. I am nearly powerless to impact the politics and governments that decide my life. I have watched governments and political parties publicly vilify each other during election campaigns. I witness reactionary global attitudes from the sidelines. I’m still a Canadian citizen, but my temporary Australian residency has disqualified me from having a say in that world. And because I’m a temporary resident in Australia, I have no say in this world either. But I’m not a refugee. I’m not oppressed. I’m just invisible. The ancient Greeks called us xenoi, or non-citizens.
Everyone seems angry, frustrated, ignored, and misunderstood. No one really talks or listens to each other. The world seems ungovernable. Choosing a political affiliation can feel like using a box of broken crayons with all the wrappers ripped off the dark blue/purple ones when you need a blue for your sky. You hope you choose the right one, but there’s a strong possibility it might be wrong when you finally see it on the paper. The lament is often that the elected politicians aren’t really speaking for the public. How did this happen?
I think we don’t really understand what politics and government should be. The idea of politics comes from ancient Greece and Aristotle, who said ta politika referred to the affairs of state. Politics were originally the core issues of concern to the citizens of a society. The lapse in my functional citizenship has been the problem this past six years. I am a part of several societies, but powerless in most of them.
Our world has transformed the meaning of politics since Aristotle. In November of 1806, Fisher Ames said:
“Politicks is the science of good sense, applied to public affairs, and, as those are forever changing, what is wisdom to-day would be folly and perhaps, ruin to-morrow. Politicks is not a science so properly as a business. It cannot have fixed principles, from which a wise man would never swerve, unless the inconstancy of men's view of interest and the capriciousness of the tempers could be fixed.” [Fisher Ames (1758-1808)]
Ames wanted it understood that politics needed to be practical, rational and flexible. It should respond to changes and needs in society. In the western world, we claim the ideas of democracy. Ames didn’t seem to have a lot of faith in the system then, and even now the ideas of democracy, politics, and identity appear disconnected. Passion seems to be ruling both politicians and citizens and no one is really communicating.
Democracy is about the people having the power to rule. The word comes from Greek demos, or the common people, and kratos, for rule or strength. The idea of representative government appealed to the philosophers of Ancient Greece. In theory, people would elect individuals to act on their behalf in a public forum to bring the ideas together and create rules and a system to support them. The majority would have the loudest voice in any group decision. It seemed like a great plan.
Instead, we have global populations that crave belonging and influence, so they grasp a particular cause/ideology to become part of some greater whole. All the enlightened ‘isms’ come into play. Plato thought democracy was a disaster. He claimed it would be prone to mob rule (ochlocracy) fed by our heightened emotional responses or else manipulation by unconscionable parties determined to control society (oligarchy). And perhaps he anticipated exactly what happens in western societies now - data mining, hacking, polls, secret emails, special-interest lobbying, litigation, character-slamming, and corporate favours. Plato felt the best form of government would be led by intelligent, wise, moral individuals willing to sacrifice any personal interests (and personal life) for the good of society. Wouldn’t that be something?
That leads my brain to the Book of Mormon. We have King Benjamin telling the people the kind of pressure ruling poses. Mosiah gives an excellent example of the dangers of monarchies in the tales of King Noah. Like Benjamin, he refuses to live off his people and institutes the rule of elected judges to succeed him and not leave his people to any possible future tyranny. He legislates freedom of conscience and expression. Mosiah 29 then details his reasons for creating this new system for the people and offers this caution, “...if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgement of God will come upon you;” (Mosiah 29:27). When faith motivates the people, this ancient system thrives. But when they lose sight of their faith, their society falls apart in corruption, civil unrest, and Lamanite attacks.
So what is the point? I don’t know if it’s clear yet. But I do know that if our representative government systems are to succeed in the future, we need to get a better handle on what government is and how it functions best. We need to become better educated and less subject to manipulation by the special interest groups that reinforce our emotional bias. We need to learn to communicate face to face and listen with a willingness to change our minds if necessary. We need to channel some of Plato’s aristoi traits and be willing to freely sacrifice for the good of many. But in a world of selfies and entitlement that is a big leap. I don’t know how many people are ready to take it.
When I am a citizen again, I don’t want to waste that power. I don’t want to be a spectator anymore. But I also don’t want to be one of the ignorant demos - using my little bit of knowledge with cherry-picked questionable facts to bludgeon anyone with a differing opinion on social media. Because that’s not democracy as it can be. People died or went to prison so all men and women could vote in many societies. Too many others will never get that privilege. Being able to have a rational, intelligent political voice is a gift that can become a superpower, but I have much to read, study, and learn.
References:
Grayling, A. C. Democracy and Its Crisis. Oneworld, 2017, pp. 15-17.
Politics | Search Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=politics. Accessed 17 Apr. 2019.
“Works Of Fisher Ames”. Google Books, https://books.google.com.au/books? P 357 Accessed 17 Apr. 2019.
Everyone seems angry, frustrated, ignored, and misunderstood. No one really talks or listens to each other. The world seems ungovernable. Choosing a political affiliation can feel like using a box of broken crayons with all the wrappers ripped off the dark blue/purple ones when you need a blue for your sky. You hope you choose the right one, but there’s a strong possibility it might be wrong when you finally see it on the paper. The lament is often that the elected politicians aren’t really speaking for the public. How did this happen?
I think we don’t really understand what politics and government should be. The idea of politics comes from ancient Greece and Aristotle, who said ta politika referred to the affairs of state. Politics were originally the core issues of concern to the citizens of a society. The lapse in my functional citizenship has been the problem this past six years. I am a part of several societies, but powerless in most of them.
Our world has transformed the meaning of politics since Aristotle. In November of 1806, Fisher Ames said:
“Politicks is the science of good sense, applied to public affairs, and, as those are forever changing, what is wisdom to-day would be folly and perhaps, ruin to-morrow. Politicks is not a science so properly as a business. It cannot have fixed principles, from which a wise man would never swerve, unless the inconstancy of men's view of interest and the capriciousness of the tempers could be fixed.” [Fisher Ames (1758-1808)]
Ames wanted it understood that politics needed to be practical, rational and flexible. It should respond to changes and needs in society. In the western world, we claim the ideas of democracy. Ames didn’t seem to have a lot of faith in the system then, and even now the ideas of democracy, politics, and identity appear disconnected. Passion seems to be ruling both politicians and citizens and no one is really communicating.
Democracy is about the people having the power to rule. The word comes from Greek demos, or the common people, and kratos, for rule or strength. The idea of representative government appealed to the philosophers of Ancient Greece. In theory, people would elect individuals to act on their behalf in a public forum to bring the ideas together and create rules and a system to support them. The majority would have the loudest voice in any group decision. It seemed like a great plan.
Instead, we have global populations that crave belonging and influence, so they grasp a particular cause/ideology to become part of some greater whole. All the enlightened ‘isms’ come into play. Plato thought democracy was a disaster. He claimed it would be prone to mob rule (ochlocracy) fed by our heightened emotional responses or else manipulation by unconscionable parties determined to control society (oligarchy). And perhaps he anticipated exactly what happens in western societies now - data mining, hacking, polls, secret emails, special-interest lobbying, litigation, character-slamming, and corporate favours. Plato felt the best form of government would be led by intelligent, wise, moral individuals willing to sacrifice any personal interests (and personal life) for the good of society. Wouldn’t that be something?
That leads my brain to the Book of Mormon. We have King Benjamin telling the people the kind of pressure ruling poses. Mosiah gives an excellent example of the dangers of monarchies in the tales of King Noah. Like Benjamin, he refuses to live off his people and institutes the rule of elected judges to succeed him and not leave his people to any possible future tyranny. He legislates freedom of conscience and expression. Mosiah 29 then details his reasons for creating this new system for the people and offers this caution, “...if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgement of God will come upon you;” (Mosiah 29:27). When faith motivates the people, this ancient system thrives. But when they lose sight of their faith, their society falls apart in corruption, civil unrest, and Lamanite attacks.
So what is the point? I don’t know if it’s clear yet. But I do know that if our representative government systems are to succeed in the future, we need to get a better handle on what government is and how it functions best. We need to become better educated and less subject to manipulation by the special interest groups that reinforce our emotional bias. We need to learn to communicate face to face and listen with a willingness to change our minds if necessary. We need to channel some of Plato’s aristoi traits and be willing to freely sacrifice for the good of many. But in a world of selfies and entitlement that is a big leap. I don’t know how many people are ready to take it.
When I am a citizen again, I don’t want to waste that power. I don’t want to be a spectator anymore. But I also don’t want to be one of the ignorant demos - using my little bit of knowledge with cherry-picked questionable facts to bludgeon anyone with a differing opinion on social media. Because that’s not democracy as it can be. People died or went to prison so all men and women could vote in many societies. Too many others will never get that privilege. Being able to have a rational, intelligent political voice is a gift that can become a superpower, but I have much to read, study, and learn.
References:
Grayling, A. C. Democracy and Its Crisis. Oneworld, 2017, pp. 15-17.
Politics | Search Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=politics. Accessed 17 Apr. 2019.
“Works Of Fisher Ames”. Google Books, https://books.google.com.au/books? P 357 Accessed 17 Apr. 2019.
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