The Jeopardy of the Democratic Experiment
Nobody Asked Me But …
04-15-2023. Recently I have concluded that democracy has lost ground in America due to the convergence of several factors, one of which I shall explore in this offering.
The democratic experiment rests upon the empowerment of the individual. Ironically, most individuals are not prepared for, nor are given the crucial skills necessary to participate in or meet the demands that living in a democratic society requires.
Since our collective experience starting at birth is one of dependency how can we expect ourselves to be prepared to live in a society that requires interdependence?
The substantial number of our fellow citizens naively supporting autocratic fascistic agendas clearly indicates that the hold of democratic principles on American society is at best, tenuous. It is difficult to understand the willingness of American citizens who are easily surrendering their constitutionally granted powers over to those who promote these agendas. An electorate who experiences themselves as impotent falls prey to the would-be, self-appointed Savior who would assume the task of deliverance. A citizenry that holds itself to be collectively unable to cope with the myriad of problems that befall them becomes ripe for the messianic message of the redeemer. This citizenry sees themselves as victims, betrayed by those empowered to protect them from harm. They attribute this betrayal to the democratically installed leadership whom they believe to be inept, corrupt or both.
Both our home and educational environments provide ongoing lessons in totalitarianism. The politics of both developmental environments place the developing person in an ongoing position of dependency and discipline. The natural outcome of such development is to produce a person who has not learned how to manage freedom or respond well to the responsibilities entailed by the exercise of freedom.
The citizens produced by such developmental processes take totalitarianism as the norm and seek the guidance and care of the parental figure. The only requirement or hope is that the parental figure is wise, kind, caring, generous, etc. rather than brutal and punishing. Thus, the system produces offspring ill-suited to the demands of a democratically governed society that requires a self-reliant, engaged citizen.
The solution to this problem rests in the hands of parents and teachers who are shouldered with the task of environmental engineering our children. These adults must shape an innovative approach to child rearing and education, rethinking the philosophies that determine how and what we model socially, psychologically, and morally. The palpable impact of this rethinking would demand radical changes in curriculum (what we teach) and pedagogy (how we teach what we teach). These changes could bring about the rebirth of a revitalized democratic energy by producing a citizen who is robust and mature, one not easily seduced or victimized by the machinations and false promises of the totalitarians.
If successful, this newly transformed electorate would not be the dependent and vulnerable citizenry of today. These new citizens would be more inclined and more capable of choosing leadership that has the competence and energy to undertake the enormous responsibilities of stewardship while governing with a reverence for the rule of law and the highest moral principles. Then, maybe, this new collective of interdependent individuals armed with more suitable behavioral skills will be able to produce what JFK so hopefully described as The Great Society.
More to come!
- Gurland
