Selfishness, Intolerance, and Resentment threaten Our Coexistence in Democracy.
“Democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms tried.” Sir Winston Churchill.
The events we observed in politics in recent years in the West lead us to conclude that politicians holding public office in Europe and America must remind themselves of their role as representatives of their electorate.
Later this year, the U.S. will choose between two unpopular candidates: one due to his mental health problems and the other due to his undemocratic, populist behavior. Recently, in Spain, the extreme right decided to break a pact with the traditional right by sending refugee children to different regions of the country. In France, the current president dissolved the Assembly to prevent the arrival of the extreme right to power. In Argentina, a narcissistic and populist president comes to power and disrespects a democratically elected colleague in Spain. In Hungary, its president assumes the semi-annual presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) and launches a unilateral and non-consensual campaign of rapprochement with Russia and China. And we could continue with similar situations in Germany, the UK, Italy, Mexico, Central America, and other South American countries, such as Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Colombia.
How does one explain these behaviors in times of unparalleled scientific and technological development?
When we thought that humanity’s problems would be within everyone’s reach, socioeconomic progress has either stalled or devolved. Our ambition, selfishness, and greed continue to take precedence over humility, the vocation for service, and the humanity we have searched for so long.
We have lived through times of barbarism that later have taken steps towards humanism, from ancient times to the present day. But instead of advancing in a continuous line, we abandon the humanistic progress achieved and return to stages already surpassed. It is as if we could narrate the history of humanity in cycles of progress and returns to barbarism instead of continuous, slow, but steady progress.
Public service is a vocation and not a means to satisfy personal needs. Our selfishness, intolerance, excessive ambition, and resentment govern us, which supports those who have thought throughout the centuries that free will is still a utopia.
How do we go around this reality?
Regardless of religious or philosophical hypotheses, our duty must make us question this reality and fight for a better and more humane world in favor of new generations. As citizens of an increasingly globalized world, we must think and act socially, politically, and economically coherently, with respect for the rights of others and in solidarity with the environment and nature.
Politics, economics, religion, and philosophy are topics of interest to everyone and of a social nature. One can evaluate progress using different measurements, and social sciences, such as sociology, anthropology, and history, allow us to analyze from many angles. Politicians must interpret these objectively and seek consensus with other political forces to adopt plans and strategies that support global progress. Instead, we observe with increasing frequency the disqualification of opposition groups, which radicalizes positions without allowing them to find consensual solutions.
We must elect citizens with a vocation for public office and evaluate their performance objectively and independently of our personal or group sympathies. Political leadership must bear fruit in your political party but also a sector of the opposition and minority groups.
Politics is, in addition to social science, the art of working out a vision that attracts the majority, followed by an effective plan that satisfies the most imperative needs of each country.
