Why democracy isn’t working… and what we can do about it.
What changed?
How is it that this system, which by its own definition, as ‘governed by the people’, is no longer serving the vast majority of us, the people?
It’s a curious question to be sure.
The system of democracy itself hasn’t changed much. We still have the same structures of governance, in more or less the same form as they first appeared back a few thousand years ago.
If you google Democracy you will find some really great descriptions of a people-led system that originated in ancient Greece. The demos (translated as ‘people’) was at that time a space where the people met to discuss the issues and rules (kratos) of the community.
Sounds pretty good, yeah? Kind of like the parliamentary systems we still have today.
You know, when we think of democracy, we usually think of values such as fairness, equality, honesty, freedom and basic human rights.
We believe that this system is the best choice because the alternatives all seem to have failed, or they offer less of the above-mentioned values.
And yet, as with everything, the devil is in the details…
To get a clear picture of what democracy has been to us in the recent past, and what it is currently, we need to think about who ‘we’ are as a community, and who we have been.
Obviously people and communities change over time in response to the conditions of the world.
Democracy has more or less stood the tests of time, weathering the changes in communities throughout the eras of written history. Until now.
That means that we have been continually maintaining our communities in a conscious form for thousands of years.
That’s pretty cool if you ask me, and gives us a clue as to what we need to do to change what isn’t working any more.
Recently, times have been changing at an ever-increasing speed, thanks to the development of incredible interwebs of connectivity AKA the information superhighway.
We the people, now have a platform to host our ‘democratic’ voice that allows us to raise issues that were invisible in politics prior to this era.
Our voices that were previously been marginalised or made ‘other’ by the dominant democratic narrative to the point where even we ourselves questioned our own truth.
Case point — the truth of the #MeToo movement, in which legendary social activist Tarana Burke coined the term ‘Me Too’ as a way of creating a community for victims of sexual violence. Her completely honourable and humble initial project grew into a gigantic and far wider-ranging movement that allowed women everywhere to acknowledge the invisible beast of sexual violence against women. Prominent men in powerful social positions were identified, and are still being exposed.
#MeToo has enabled a new perspective to seep through social consciousness.
Ignorance that once kept us separate from ourselves and each other has emerged into the political arena.
I won’t spend too much breath on the politics of this or any other issue, because there is much information available on the interwebs for you to find if you’re motivated.
Think native rights, bodily autonomy, politics of accessibility, wealth equity, sexual and gender identity, ageism, environmental issues, climate change, inquiries into authority rule such as (here in Australia) the Royal Commissions… and on and on.
All these issues that were previously invisible, or at best marginal, have come to light and created a tension between the people and our democratic political systems.
Suffice to say, what we are focusing on are the mechanisms of how these illuminated truths interact with democratic politics.
We also need to consider who are the people who are being elected to be our democratic representatives.
No matter your views on politicians generally, they have more or less secured social order throughout the ages.
Politicians themselves and political parties come and go, and democracy continues.
We are starting to see positive shifts in representation within the parliament itself:
The inspirational leadership of Jacinda Ardern in New Zealand, the world’s youngest elected female head of state.
The representation of Jordan Steele-John in the Australian senate, who is not only the first representative in a wheelchair, but also the youngest elected politician in parliament.
Barack Obama, the first African-American elected to the presidency of the United States.
The slew of culturally diverse females being elected to politics across America.
All inspirational signs that there is hope for an evolving world in which we can all feel represented, safe and supported in our personal truths.
And yet.
Post-Obama election of Donald Trump, the most privileged white guy of them all.
Jordan Steele-John still advocates for, and struggles with wheelchair accessibility in a parliament designed for able-bodied humans, and cannot access the floor of the parliament he is elected to.
Further, we are currently being immersed in media that shows democratic political inability to respond compassionately, or even appropriately to natural disasters, violence, and community needs.
The moments of hope don’t seem to add up to the leadership we want & need in order to sustain our local and global communities.
So.
Let’s return back to history and have a deeper look.
Consider the demos, which not only described the people, but also the physical environment that the representatives occupied while they were making decisions for the people. The demos was a walled arena that only admitted men, called patriarchs.
Women, people of colour, poor people and disabled people were not permitted inside the arena, and thus were not able to participate in politics.
Democratic politics is a system that was devised by the patriarchs to rule over all others. It is the rule of law and governance that was developed in ancient Greece, and has continued since that time to serve the needs and interests of those who fit the ideals of the patriarchs.
Ergo the needs of powerful men of the dominant culture.
This is the root of patriarchal social construction, which is effectively what we are still running with in democratic political systems.
Think about that for a minute.
Think about the social construction of communities throughout the democratic world.
Is it any wonder that Jordan Steele-John can’t get his wheelchair down to the floor of the parliament?
Is it any wonder that we marginalise people who don’t happen to be powerful men?
Is it any wonder that medicine has predominantly been tested on male bodies because female bodies have been considered ‘unreliable’?
Is it any wonder that Donald Trump proceeds to build a great whopping wall between the USA and Mexico?
Oh dear.
Now before we crumble into a depressed heap of hopelessness, let’s consider a few more beacons of hope and the way forward.
Think about Greta Thunberg, a young girl from Sweden who started a protest on her own to bring attention to the reality of climate change. Think about the size of her movement now. Think about the position of power she has created for herself. No, not for herself… for the children of the world now and always, so they have a planet to live their lives on.
Think about extinction rebellion. No matter what your opinion of them is, think about that many people working together in the midst of existential crises, separate and together. No ‘leadership’ as we understand it, yet working together, motivated by a shared passion for survival, a love for the natural world and hope for the continuation of life.
Think about the amazing people all over the world working on the coal face of life. All these people supporting themselves and each other, driven by an instinct for survival and hope for a good life.
There’s more here than meets the eye.
There are similarities in these examples that can be seen when we focus in.
Compassion, love, care, hope.
Most people are good people. Most people want a good life for ourselves and each other.
So with all this goodness, how can we rekindle our sense of hope?
How can each and every one of us look ourselves in the eye and know that we are doing everything we can to turn that compassion, love, and care into sustainable life?
As with everything, the answer is simple and complex.
We need to love ourselves first and foremost. We need to love ourselves as an action throughout every moment of our daily lives.
And when we can actively love ourselves, we can actively love each other and the planet we live on.
This act of loving ourselves is a far greater power than the power of the democratic leaders.
Like that moment in the movie Labyrinth, when Jennifer Connelly’s Sarah turns to David Bowie’s King Jareth and says “You have no power over me”.
There are so many more good people in the world, who when they are personally empowered will no longer give their power over to the leaders of a system that doesn’t serve us.
The way forward isn’t an ordered organised system.
It is more in line with the chaos of the natural world.
It is working with what we currently have, rather than fighting against it.
It is the true knowing of self, and therefore of love.
It is the ability to love each other and the world we share.
That’s a lot to digest.
So before I leave you hanging with nothing but a whisper of chaos, I will drop in with a practical action that you can start today and continue forever. An ordinary way of loving yourself that costs nothing and is a step along the road of your personal truth and power.
The mystery of our personal truth lies not in the conscious thoughts we already know about ourselves, but rather in the concealed wisdom of our body-minds.
In the aches of our bodies, the creaks of our hearts, the dreams of our souls.
To access our own perfect truth, all we need do is listen to ourselves. Really listen. Like pay attention and allow ourselves to be right.
When we feel that clench in the guts or the heaviness of the moment, tune in and know that that is the truth. That is the doorway to our power.
Our bodies don’t lie.
Yep, and here is the exercise I promised:
Feeling into Self
Take a moment or two, perhaps 5–10 minutes to sit or lie still, somewhere you will be undisturbed and/or unselfconscious.
Allow your attention to turn inwards as you start to notice the ordinary signs of life — breath, pulse, temperature.
Allow your attention to roam throughout your physical body noticing what you feel.
This process is a noticing, an allowing of what is, rather than a creating.
Notice the physical, emotional and sensational experiences as they come to your attention.
And as you notice each feeling, say it out aloud with your mouth.
Just say what you feel, not why or how, just what it is.
For example, I feel cool on the back of my neck… or I feel pressure on the soles of my feet… or I feel happy in my tummy…
Allow your attention to drift throughout your entire body, saying aloud what you notice.
Let this noticing be an exercise that develops a new habit of checking in, and paying attention to what your body is saying to you.
This information comes direct to you from your body mind, and will tell you your own personal truth about what is happening for you internally at every moment.
This truly is the gateway to self knowing, and can be expanded with wisdom and conscious direction if you choose, through meditation, somatic awareness practices, and other therapeutic processes.
Or you can simply allow the wisdom of your body to lead the way.
Thank you for considering, and I’d love to hear your reflections on any or all of this. Feel free to send me a message or comment below.
