Tim+Q

Tim It is my belief that in order for people to exist together in peaceful harmony, there must be a centralized belief, a fundamental ideology that unifies them. We as Americans know this ideology to be democracy. However even as the present champions of such an ideology, I believe we fail to attain the full meaning of democracy which is more than just rights and the constitutionality of laws and the pursuit o f individual interests. Rather the full meaning of Democracy “. . . is much like the Constitution,” as a fellow classmate once put it, “The constitution is a living breathing document” and so likewise the very philosophy that was used to breathe life into or inspire the Constitution, must be alive and active. In his speech to the Parliament of India, former President Jimmy Carter said, "Democracy is like the experience of life itself - always changing, infinite in its variety, sometimes turbulent and all the more valuable for having been tested for adversity." Therefore, we the people must shift our thinking to from a democracy in which a static set of institutional arrangements set by precedents and tradition to a dynamic process which always be remolded and reshaped to improve as we participate making democracy a verb not just a noun or adjective. Now it is also my understanding that the world is not perfect and thus it is impossible to eradicate democracy as we know it and rather install an ideal new way of peaceful harmonious ideology. I believe at the same time that the current system in place now could undergo some changes that would help idealize the system. For instance in this country power is a very valuable tool, however for an individual to wield that power he or she must possess certain qualities and or assets. Conversely in a state where democracy is living, that power may, for example, be given not solely to a senator or representative but also to his staff therein enabling them to utilize their expertise to help citizens directly in public action not just through one medium, in this case politicians. Vital needs in making and keeping democracy alive are education, diversity, listening open dialogue, critical/strategic thinking, and patience. If all people are presented with equal education opportunities that give people a piece of that power that was mentioned before and in presenting citizens with untainted education the diverse backgrounds and skill set get utilized thus calling for listening and honest dialogue. When factors like these and others are addressed then we can begin to see the breath of life back in democracy as it is spelled out in our Constitution.