I'm asking this question of myself after engaging in a debate with some friends. The debate was on political ideologies - democracy, capitalism ,communism and all the variations we have today. I, for one, is a strong supporter of democracy and more so capitalism. Capitalism does to a society something similar to what mom used to do to us when we were kids - 'Look at how well behaved that girl next door is... ' and lo, I started behaving well too..
I presume you know what I mean.
Capitalism brings in competition. It puts in challenges, it churns the best from the huge melting pot, so to speak. And we all know, how these handful change our lives.
Some say, democracy doesnt work for a country like ours. Because we dont deserve it. Partially right. At 60 years, our country is still like a bunch of unruly kids who have to be whipped to be disciplined. But wait,thats not what democracy is, in the first place. It defines freedom to choose in a nutshell, however it does not impose!
It just lays rules and rules for breaking those rules, but it doesnt enforce. Atleast not in the strictest sense. Because of its true definition, it still gives a criminal, a defaulter, a chance. A chance to plead! A chance to get away ! (this is the saddest part of democracy) But to blame an ideology that stands on freedom for this very reason is not fair. This is my opinion. Because, I live in a society that has given me the freedom to live life on my terms so long as those terms dont affect another's existence.I love this freedom because it lets me work,be intellectual,creative, entertaining ,empathatic and more. And to blame democracy just because a few misuse it is wrong.
What if I were to lose all this tomorrow and be asked to follow certain principles that I dont subscribe to ? Some of those that appear socially just but unfair to the hard working,skilled population like mine ? What if I were asked to donate half of my salary to someone who is unemployed just because that person does not want to work ? What if my salary was never increased simply because some lawyer somewhere was making only so much ? What if my creative talents were not paid off simply because 90% of the society was not creative ? What if educational standards were reduced to keep eveyone at bay ? What if I had to pay 60% income tax while someone else paid only 30% ? What if I had to donate 5% of my income to a youth who was begging simply because he is too lazy to work ? What if entertainment was regulated ? What if we were asked to stop playing sports because we need that money to be invested elsewhere ? What if defence was not so important ?
Did I lose my freedom here ? My friend would say no because he thinks so long as I have enough to eat and survive, it is OK! So long as my money is going to make everyone well-fed and well-clothed, such rules are fine, he would say!
What happens to me ? What happens to this society ? Would there be motivation ? Would anyone think beyond eating and living well ? Would we explore ? Would we take the unchartered ? Would we try to create wealth ? Would we invest ? Would we think ahead ? Would we secure ourselves ? Eventually, would we think at all ? Would there be change ? evolution ?
Might be, might be not! Because it all depends on one guy whose vision of the world would have to become my vison of the world. And that my friends is by itself, RESTRICTING and against WORLD ORDER. This world needs chaos, variety and differences. There have to be rich and poor, the hard working and the hardly working, the common and the intellectual, we have no choice. This is world order. By trying to make things uniform,someone out there is only acting God! Any human acting GOD is called a DICTATOR! Because, we have no right to! There was one guy about half a century ago due to whose whims and fancies, an entire population of innocent, free-spirited people were put to pain and death. Do we need moral policemen for our leaders ?
Think my friends!
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5 comments:
I hate to knit pick but some of your arguments are not correct - a.) Democracy doesn't mean that a criminal has the right to plead or fair trial. Theoritically, even monarchies and tyrants provide this opportunity though it may not be followed. Its just the option for people to choose their reps. b) India is far more responsible democracy than what US and France were at 60 yrs after democracy. Democracy = mob rule in most cases - http://thought-experiments.blogspot.com/2007/06/democracies-and-emerging-alternatives.html c) Many well developed European democracies still follow socialist structure which means that people are taxed so that the unemployed (& unwilling to be employed) don't beg. So that is not what democracy is about. d) I don't agree with the education view as well. Society stands to gain more with lots of average people than a few elites. Hence the need for reservation everywhere - US, UK, Scandinavia and of course, India. It is a misconception that reservation is bad. btw, children of people benefiting from reservation perform much better which was reservation is all about. In india, people have a myopic view which partly is due to historical injustice.
A tyrant or a communist may make the society much better (eg England till 19th century and initial years of soviet republic) but in general people with unlimited powers tend to get intoxicated with it and abuse it. Remember, all tyrants & revolutionaries start with a noble cause. :-)
I meant nitpick. The text editor is not intelligent enough to understand spaces aren't always intentional ...
Democracy is indicative of the popular culture where the quality of the 'demos' directly controls the quality of the 'cracy'. There is no doubt democracy is the only sustainable mode of governance (note: I said sustainable not efficent). As for capitalism, it's got it's faults but it is the least of all evils that we can follow. I agree with what Saveri says and unfortunately blogs are too restrictive a place to debate on capitalism Vs socialism so will have to let go an opportunity for a good debate ;-)). Suffice it to say that we currently have at least one country which is already in taters due to socialist policies ,Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe where inflation is running at 3400% (no, i did not make a mistake it is a 4 digit number) and unemployment is running at about 80% (last week's figures). And now we have another country being mowed down by Hugo Chavez, I give Venezuela another 5-8 years before Chavez destroys it's economy. I can already hear the commies complaining that it is all a conspiracy of the rich who are sabotaging their plans.
You're mixing up too many things.
Democracy, like plutocracy and aristocracy, refers to a "form of government" whereas Capitalism and its counterpart Communism are primarily "economic systems".
Each form of government has its own merits and demerits, and so much also depends on the individuals who are at the helm of affairs. (With a benevolent dictator, even autocracy might be a welcome thing, as compared to a corrupt, insane democracy, whose elected 'representatives' will only be representative of its own corrupt individuals and nothing more.)
Same way, there is nothing inherently nobler about Capitalism that makes it superior to Communism. Yes, it has its good points, but so does Communism as an economic model.
Ultimately, your view could very much depend on which side of the haves vs. have-nots divide you are in.
It might perhaps be easier to see the humanitarian essence of Communism for a person who has been unsure of his next meal and who, in response, would appreciate the value of a system which extends, out of compassion, to all human beings the basic courtesy of food, clothing, and shelter, and the opportunity to contribute meaningfully back to the society, in an environment of cooperation.
(And it hardly needs to be added that Cooperation is any day a much wiser option for a social species like us, as compared to Competition, emphasised under Capitalism.)
:)
Russian Salad
>My friend would say no because he >thinks so long as I have enough to >eat and survive, it is OK! So long >as my money is going to make >everyone well-fed and >well-clothed, such rules are fine, >he would say!
You picked the wrong note here.None of us meant that!
"Freedom" is reduced to pep talk across a coffee table where none of us really understand what "not being free" really means.
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