De·moc·ra·cy /dəˈmäkrəsē/
noun
- A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives. “Capitalism and democracy are ascendant in the third world.”
- Similar: representative government, elective government, constitutional government, popular government, self-government, government by the people, autonomy, republic, commonwealth
- Opposite: tyranny, dictatorship
- a state governed by a democracy. plural noun: democracies “a multiparty democracy”
- control of an organization or group by the majority of its members. “The intended extension of industrial democracy.”
(Oxford Dictionary)
I wanted to share this definition first before explaining it from my understanding.
The practice of democracy is based on the belief that each resident of the designated area is entitled to things like safe spaces to exist, as well as several inalienable rights, and individual responsibilities as a participant in said democracy. A government’s democratic structure ensures that residents have their voices heard when decisions need to be made on their behalf (creating/upholding laws, maintaining shared spaces, and representation on a larger scale.
Herein lies the problem: for democracy to work, the residents must participate. This is how the system works. We are the cogs in the wheel. If we don’t vote, if we don’t protest, if we don’t speak up, if we don’t put our names forward for representation, if we don’t make known what our priorities are, we are quite literally letting someone else decide for us.
And isn’t that what everyone is tired of?
This is the system into which we were born, or to which you were blessed to move. This practice is not always easy. It doesn’t always seem helpful in the stressful moments, but it’s what we have, and it beats the alternative (tyranny/dictatorship).
During the years when times get tough, when people feel like they don’t have a voice, when the leaders in power seem out of touch, or when they don’t represent your priorities, THIS IS WHEN WE NEED TO SPEAK UP! This is when we organize. This is when we band together. This is when we have to make the system work FOR us, not against us.
WE make a democracy.
