15 Jan 2021  |   04:40am IST

The principles of democracy

The principles of democracy

ONE: The First Principle is built upon the sacred alter of Democracy, is the very meaning of the word: People’s Power (from Greek: “demo”: people, and “kratis”: power). In the process of evolution of the Human Race, social structures began to develop that formulated guidelines based upon understanding that all humans and all creatures on the planet are intrinsically dependent on each other. This included the abundance Mother Nature provided, the waters, the air, the soil, for all her creatures to survive on and to create a joyous and idealistic existence while we inhabit her domain. 

This unlimited bounty was placed in the lap of humankind to manage and revel in to the best of their abilities. This included infinite intellectual wisdom and the freedom to direct life in the fashion society chose fit to attain.

TWO: The Human Character, the Second Principle that human societies are molded by. The Source of Life that Man has originated from, came with the most treasured gift of all, Freedom. For man to be “free”, every possible level of human emotional experience was embedded into the boundless cerebral capacity that made up the character of Mother Natures most favored creature, Mankind. We are all imbued with imagination, creativity, love, hate, greed, generosity, pride, humility, cruelty, kindness, sadness, joy; in essence mankind has the freedom to choose a way of life it collectively desires. Democratically, which means everyone is included without prejudice or hindrance.

At this moment in our history humans have access to tools that offer the capacity to solve every problem known and created by humans. The recently acquired technological achievements present the ability to right every wrong, is perhaps the most engaging quality mankind possesses.

THREE: The Third Principle and the most desirable of all, is Freedom. We have the collective freedom to choose between a life of sorrow and sickness or health and happiness, between right and wrong, between death and destruction, between peace and prosperity, or pain and pleasure. Our life, our take.

But alas, this very freedom is used as a weapon to suppress selective sections of the people. Going by the First Principle, People’s Power must always prevail. If we lose, the entire State loses, if we win, the entire country wins. It is not wrong to fight for democratic rights.

FOUR: The Fourth Principle is Assessment, identifying people with the right credentials that will lead the people according what the people need, and thus provide good governance. Close scrutiny and due diligence of every willing candidate is a critical function that collectively belongs to the people. Disbursement of information, efficient communication and educating the voter population about the process on a timely basis is an operation that elevates societies to a fulfilling and judicious way of life. Selecting and electing leaders of noble and idealistic character, with a desire to serve the State from the heart, servants to the nation and not “masters”, men and women who lead and pursue goals that people want to achieve, is the very core and soul of what democracy is all about. 

FIVE: Principle number Five is Maintenance. Maintaining an unbroken stream of the Standards and Structures of a successful democratic society is the ultimate test of not just the quality of life, but of the caliber of man’s stamina, intellectual and moral capacity. 

In reality, in practice, in our everyday experience, the life that we live is tossed and churned around in a storm of an unpredictable presence of infinite variables. Perhaps it’s what the Source of Creation has designed and intended of how life should be. The Ego, mingled with imagination, greed and desire, are the factors that test and twist our emotional balance. Emotions are a quality exclusive to man alone. If we are conscious about the events around us, life becomes easy to control as humans have multiple faculties to contend with emotions and other negative parameters within the human psyche that may go awry. When we are entangled with worries and care created by a compulsive lifestyle, when life goes out of our grasp, when we find ourselves engulfed in a downward spiral gone out of control, is when all the problems begin to manifest.

It is for such contingencies that we must be totally alert about whom we appoint as Legislators to frame the Rules and Regulations of how society conducts itself. However, it is when these very lawmakers step out of line, is the point when distress and turmoil begin to unsettle the fabric of peace and harmony in society. We soon begin to witness how “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. But the “Power of the People”, an indestructible concept of real democracy, can never be lost or even shaken. The battle for Life and Liberty never ceases. 

Battle Plans: Confrontation with the powers that be, charged with high voltage negative emotions will sometimes deliver minor successes for motivated protestors. Commendable and courageous no doubt, but social problems could find better long-time solutions with more powerful “tactics”. Tabletop, eyeball-to-eyeball negotiations, laced with a spirit of consensus, armed with unshakeable legal statutes, using the catch-all sentiment that the “opposition” are people too, and with an underlining attitude that we do not get up from the table until we win. We need to present a picture of how much suffering society undergoes because of the money stolen from public treasuries. A false notion entertained by most of our elected representatives, is that by becoming “commission agents” while in government is the only road a huge fortune. Governing then becomes a business enterprise with nary a thought that the ill-gotten loot they accumulate belongs to the poorest of the poor. 

Our first duty then, while we experience all that life throws at us, is to live our lives for other people. That’s life, and LIFE is all we really have, with a heart tempered by kindness. 

The choice is ours: Bliss, or Bondage.

(The author is a 

resident of Goa)

IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar