Eleanor Roosevelt was a champion of democracy. The first book that she wrote was “The Moral Basis for Democracy.” She gave many reasons for democracy and one of them was her religious beliefs. She felt that democracy best reflected God’s intent for humans. She said “Men who have the instincts for dictatorship are always a danger in any society. Free citizens must be constantly alert to preserve their liberties.”
By this she meant that democracy requires constant viligence. There will always be men and women with athoritarian tendencys: this is reflected in the saying “power corrupts – absolute power corrupts absolutely.” One way to curb this tendency is through a Bill of Rights and an independent judiciary. They are our bulwark against athoritarianism.
It is fitting to write this blog on International Democracy Day. The restraint of athoritarism is not just a nicety, it is a right. Democracy is a human right closely connected to free speech. Authoritarians almost always limit what can be said about them. This is mental slavery. Most people can readily agree that physical slavery is a violation of human rights anywhere in the world, so too is mental slavery.
There is a genuine danger between the connection of populism and athoritarianism. Our human traits as primates make us suceptible to the seeming security of the dominant ape. We must resist this outdated false sense of security and efficiency – it may be more work, but it’s a better result when we pick our leaders through a democratic process, not have them foisted upon us based on herediary background or religious beliefs. We are our own rulers.
To this end, become a light for rights – take a stand for democracy on International Democracy Day.
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