God and Democracy
Philosophy is the anti-thesis of
ideology. The true philosopher has no pride, no sense of self. The
philosopher is king and always will be, as the conceptual limits of
our world are often set by men who have been dead for hundreds or
thousands of years. The mighty emperor is governed by his ability to
perceive the world around him, and his perception is informed by the
will and words of the philosopher.
In Egypt, the birthplace of
civilization, we witness an illustration of contrast that hopefully
will give birth to new understanding. We must first suspend judgement
if we are to understand.
There are two opposing forces vying for
control of Egypt. Backers of the establishment of an Islamic state
believe that man should be governed by Gods will as interpreted by
the Koran. Backers of the establishment of a constitutional democracy
believe that it is gods will that man should be governed by reason.
This distinction is crucial to
understanding what democracy is. Democracy is not about the
imposition of Karl Marx, Milton Friedman, or any other version of
God. Democracy is rule by reason, rule by philosophy. Democracy is
not a dictatorship of the proletariat. Democracy is not a
dictatorship of the market. Democracy is not a dictatorship of the
Koran. Democracy is not about self it is about truth.
The two faces of ego are ideology and
greed. These are manifested when men seek control of the state to
impose what they believe without the support of reason, and when men
seek control of the state to accumulate wealth and power as an end in
and of itself. A cynic would say that the two faces of ego are the
only paths history will take, but there is a third way out and its
democracy.
Democracy is when people come together
and solve issues based on reason. The central word here is reason.
Decision making is not allocated based on social status, money, or
party monopoly. The objective of democracy is not to “win” what
you want or to crush your “opponent”. In a pure democracy you
have no opposition and there are no winners or losers. In a pure
democracy all you have is people working together. That doesn't mean
they will always agree on everything it just means that they will
approach governance from the perspective that it is not about them.
The fundamental misunderstanding of the
Chinese Communists is the perception that reason is just a tool of
power. In their mind everything is war, a political struggle for
ideological dominance. They will spend considerable resources
constructing ideological arguments in order to manufacture
perceptions that advance their interests. Truth can not be
manufactured, only perceptions. True reason will stand alone apart
from interest.
How ought we as human souls reconcile
the truth of our connection? Democracy is the answer to this
question. It conceptually nurtures compassion and starves ego. Our
duty is to recognize the others as we would ourselves and pursue the
public interest based on informed and well reasoned dialogue. The
failure of modern liberal states in a global context is not a failure
of democracy, it is an example of what happens when people forget
what democracy is.
If we are to look to God for answers we
should look to him as the original financial advisor. When Jesus
Christ said love one another, he implicitly said that if we do not
follow that commandment than we will all end up poor, dead or both.
Without people there is no wealth, it is a concept within us. If
people do not follow the financial advise of God there will be
poverty and social problems. Loyalty to your wife and family, respect
for others, forgiveness and compassion are the recipe for a better
society. God should be a cultural compass that leads to comprehensive
wealth, not a system of governance.
As a rejection of ego, democracy is the
only option we have that respects people and principal above ideology
and greed.
Democracy is the next evolutionary step
in human awareness, but there is no guarantee that human society will
progress. Democracy is a seedling threatened from all sides by the
weeds of selfishness. Totalitarianism lives, and so long as it does
it plots to stamp out any alternative to it's authority.
We must defend democracy from the well
organized infiltration of communist totalitarian forces enabled by a
corrupt and incompetent capitalist class. Our freedom will only be
preserved by the actions of brave souls who take it upon themselves
to carry the legacy of our forefathers. The people will be preserved
and strengthened within the house of the lord. Amen.
