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Democracy and the political entity known as "people"

Democracy is a form of government whose roots date back to ancient Greece. It is derived from the words "demos" (people) and "kratos" (power) and means "government of the people."

But what does "Government of the people" means? What lies behind this word? Nowadays, many people across the world ask this question, a lot of them may share the same meaning, a lot of them probably not, in the end we can’t deny the existence of various type of democracy so why I’m here wasting time?

Despite it multiple masks, democracy has one undeniable common factor: the political weight of the people.

And what exactly is "political weight"? It simply means that no political entity can ignore our voice. It takes also us to decide (directly or indirectly) who takes the lead. We’re talking about a great power and a great privilege and with great power comes great responsibilities. In a democracy, the population who has the right to vote becomes a concrete political entity who actively participates in politics and what do we usually ask  from a political entity to make it work? Competence, education, awareness, and honesty.

If the political entity known as "people" truly want to make it work, then we also must fulfill all four requirements. "All good words, but what are we supposed to do?" you may ask.

The population of a country is the most messed-up political entity in a democracy: it is massive, extremely diverse in a variety of ways, and God forbid we unanimously agree on something once in a lifetime! It is impossible by nature, people constantly change: each generation comes with new ideas, new political parties arise, new challenges comes, how can we possibly think to make it work? People are messy, and not everyone can be competent as a political figure (assuming the ideal one), but we have a fantastic tool to fuel the engine, and that tool is Dialogue!

I know, you may say to yourself "Talking with them!? Not in a million years!". If this is true, then ask yourself these questions:

"Why do I think my ideals can make the world a better place?"

"Why do I think of "the others" as a clusterfuck of scary nonsensical words?"

"Do I want to make a better world for everyone, or me?"

"How can I work on a better world if "the others" exists?"

You see, betting on a complete victory of your ideas is a loss of money (guaranteed), you can fight everyone, cover yourself in your flags, get beneath your heroes and chant your war songs everyday. You are never ever going to get that total victory. In this system, we compromise, we have to, because "the others" are also a part of the political entity you share. You cannot force them out as you cannot force your head out without dying.

There’s a single word for the ones who believe in a "single way of thinking" type of people: Tiranny.

"You talk big game! How am I supposed to coexist with someone who wants me out, or worse, dead?". First of all, we need to accept that today "the others" exists and they are here to stay, for the time nature gave them. We just need to understand the reason why "the others" exists and why they serve a purpose (or served). How can we learn these things without dialogue? By talking with each other we may learn about common struggles, common beliefs and other wholesome things. In other words, we find common ground. By finding common ground, we work better.

Straight to the point, if it is true that the people need to talk to each other and fulfill the four requirements to make democracy work, alongside others political entities, then we need to PARTECIPATE.

 This word is the key for democracies. We partecipate? All is ok! We don’t partecipate? Something is not ok.

By participating in a democracy, we work for it, and we get to know the job: It is requested from us to be active in the debate, to study the environment, and to consult with our colleagues to decide the best outcome for our society, even if some of them are less fancy and funny than us. Sure, sometimes your favorite political party may lose; it is natural; but in that case, if you worked well with your colleagues, you probably gained their respect, and with that, it might be possible to see them ask you something about your ideal.

In conclusion, the most important thing we must not forget is that we work for the good of everyone, not just ourselves. Participation is the only real rule allowing us to fulfill the four requirements for a political entity to work. Let's use it!

I would like to extend my point of view on this topic, but at this point it would be an essay and not an introduction.. I would also like to explore so many concept such as: Progress as a natural cause to democracy, the role of pragmatism on ideals and so on but I’m going to stop here for now! Let me know what you think (criticism is higly accepted), do you agree? Did I miss something? Let’s partecipate 😉.