I remember a time when I was not allowed to go to certain beaches or be seated in certain sections of the train. It was a time where I had to call some people boss because my skin colour was considered unworthy under the political dispensation of that time.
Source: blogspot.com
Thankfully that system of oppression has been relegated to the annals of history. Thank goodness for democracy. As a person previously subjected to political oppression, I now have the guarantee of basic human rights. Thanks to democracy, I now have the freedom of opinion and speech. I have the freedom to exercise my faith without fear of intimidation. Thanks to democracy I have the right to vote like every other citizen of my country.
Source: http://aristotleslackey.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/freedom-for-all.jpg
Honestly speaking though, I sometimes cannot help but think of democracy as a popularity contest, whereby whoever is liked most, gets to call the shots. The more popular phrase ‘majority rules’ of course emphasizes this point more clearly. However this seems pretty exclusive and selfish to me because if democracy favours the majority, then what happens to the concerns or plight of the minority?
Now I’m not trying to advocate any political ideology or disrespecting democracy. I am simply asking, what about the minority; the marginalized who do not agree with the majority or aren’t considered worthy enough to have their opinion considered? Do they just have to go with the flow and wait till they eventually have enough support for their disposition?
Source: Gun Carrying Librarian
Too often we’re so concerned about our own rights and interests that we couldn’t care less about those of less popular ideological views or beliefs. Surely if you and I had what we believed to be a valid disposition but were on the ‘bad end of democracy’ (i.e. the minority), we’d still like to be heard and have our views included?
While these thoughts here may be considered political, I think it’s more than that. It’s an issue of social justice. The bible talks about human beings created in God’s image and that they are loved and valued by Him. If this is the case then surely we should view others in the same light? When it comes to these kinds of discussions there way too much political gobbledygook going on when perhaps it’s simply a matter of loving your neighbour as yourself.