Thursday, November 06, 2008

President: Barrack Obama

I've decided that there is decisive problem with democracy. It's something that's obviously been recognised for ages, but it's what causes division, angry argumentsa etc etc. That's a bit pessimistic, and a bit over the top, but the thing is, people will never agree. And so what you get is a hosue full of representatives all clamouring for their view to be heard, who are then criticised because the people they're representing don't actually agree with them, and then ordinary people have huge political debates but...
People will have different ideas to you, and what i hate is that many people seem to be incapable of sharing they're own view (on anything) without trying to convert the person they're talking to. We need to be able to just throw ideas out there, into the big black vortex of 'maybe it'll chaneg their mind, but maybe it won't, and i don't mind either way, it doesn't affect me, i still hold my views.' People have different ideas and that's somethign that we all need to accept. Whatever it is that's created those ideas - a different life experience, belief system or simply personality - you can't change. You can add to it, maybe get them, to think but we all have to respect other people's views.
This comes particularly the day after the election in America, as indicated by my expectedly cliche title. I hold this position particularly after experiencing the effect an election campaign can have twice in one year. Parties and people have different policies they support, eys, but here's my take on it (after all that preamble):
We cannot force ourbeliefs and priorities on other people. We can't. And that's where i see slight issues with democracy. I have nothing againsta democracy, i do bleieve it is a good political system. The people vote in a praty/person and that party/person makes decisions about the country. I will be one of those people that says youc an't complain about a policy if you voted for the party, even if you didn't, because its a fair system. But in this system, you still have a group of people effectively forcing their beliefs and priorities on a whole nation.
I dunno, but it seems flawed in some major way that a small group of people can take what they see to be true and apply to others lives. True, it makes no great difference in countries like Australia and America who is in power, butas i say it's fundamental. Some religious people would say they have the right to enforce their world beliefs on others as they blieve that they know THE TRUTH. I am a christian and am tempted to say that soemtimes, but people would react the same way to me that i woudl to a .... another religion saying that. The person doesn't believe, they dont' have to live that way. Hey, i think the Bible is the truth, but i can't make everyone in australia live that way just because i think so. I can try to tell them why i think so and get them to think about it, but i will not enforce what i believe on others.
What has this to dp with democracy? Lots in the many controversial issues floating around. You all know what they are, i don't need to tell you. What i think is this: if everyone making the decision claims to believe the same thing (think Anglicans and minister appointment - we all claim to believe the Bible) go ahead and press your point, but if a collection of people al with different ideas about life, god, justice etc, (like government), just think about it. I'm not going to be president or PM ever, so what i propose that i will do is to simply hold my beliefs close to my heart and act on them when voting etc. Re-examine them yes, it would be foolish not to, but nto "Bible-bash" (in chirstian circles), only throw my ideas out there for considereation.
Hope i've been clear in what i'm saying. Just please don't get angry at people who don't think the same way you do. I'll just close with a quote, it sums this up nicely:
-Do not think of knocking out another person's brains because he differs in
opinion from you. It would be as rational to knock yourself on the head because
you differ from yourself ten years ago. -Horace Mann, educational reformer
(1796-1859)

I think this guy had a sensible head on his shouders.

2 comments:

Eric said...

yay! finally sum1 who agrees with me! the only problem is, people always assume im forcing what i say - maybe at the start of all of my sentences i should say 'my thoughts are, but im not bashing them on you'... coz i assume they know that, but they assume im forcing what i think... thats nt gud lol. so then it ends in argument which i get blamed for coz i was 'forcing my opinion'.

haha, but yes, gud post, just a few, well... spelling mistakes... haha

=D

Mikhail Silverwood said...

Yeah, sure, people have different opinions of things. It's called individuality - if we were all the same, then we'd be automaton, and then we couldn't express ourselves, so there'd be no point in democracy.

However, I like to apply a materialist interpretation onto politics; people relate to one another, and form their opinions, through their material conditionings.

A working class person, having to work 50 hours a week just to make enough money to keep their kids in school, will naturally be able to relate to other working class people in a similar situation.

A rich fat cat, who works 3 hours a day and makes more money than they can eat, will naturally be able to relate to other fat cats.

And through those relations of materialistic circumstances, political and social and moral opinions and thoughts and ideas are formed.