Our democracy needs to mature

OF course, everyone needs to mature. That’s the natural flow of things. In our social life, which we try to organize through our politics, an abiding process of maturation is a must. We have to be conscious of this so everyone would know the role he plays toward that end.

We have embraced a democratic way of life for quite some time now. In that regard, we are lucky or, some priest-friends would tell me, blessed. There are still a few countries not as lucky or blessed, even to this day of frenzied progress.

And those that are democratic unfortunately show many signs they are missing the true essence of democracy. This is because their ideas of the rule of law, man, truth and freedom are at best questionable.

Of all forms of government, the Church has recommended democracy because of its inherent advantages. This is what John Paul II’s “Centesimus annus” says:

“The Church values the democratic system inasmuch as it ensures the participation of citizens in making political choices, guarantees to the governed the possibility both of electing and holding accountable those who govern them, and of replacing them through peaceful means when appropriate.” (46)

We just have to be aware that democracy is a living and very dynamic process. It cannot be expected to automatically give us its true benefits if the actors and the other elements do not do their part.

We have to constantly give life to it, by properly exercising our freedom which is democracy’s animating germ. We say, “properly,” obviously because there are improper ways, millions of them, of abusing our freedom.

The Gospel already warns of this. “Do not use liberty as an occasion for sensuality, but by charity serve one another.” (Gal 5,13) “Live as freemen, yet not using your freedom as a cloak for malice but as servants of God.” (1 Pt 2,16)

We have to be vigilant of the many forms of false freedom that warp and distort our values that are supposed to guide us. Maturing our democratic way of life depends on how we live our freedom.

Sad to say, misunderstanding freedom is what we are seeing these days in abundance. Even the hallowed passage often quoted by people that “the truth shall make you free” is abused, because it is detached from its foundation.

The complete words of Christ are: “If you abide in my word, you shall be my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (Jn 8,31)

In short, if truth, supposed to make us free, is not derived from Christ’s word but merely from what we want no matter how consensually determined, we will never have true freedom, in spite of our fervent professions for truth and freedom.

As the same Church document teaches us, a democracy that is not firmly based on this understanding of truth and freedom will lead us to be easily manipulated for reasons of power. It can lead us to open or thinly disguised totalitarianism. (cfr 46)

We have to react more sharply and promptly whenever we see traces of true Christian freedom undermined either subtly or otherwise. Nowadays, these attacks on true freedom are plenty and unrelenting.

To mention a few, we have to be extra careful with the games our politicians play. These are often aggravated by the media. When we hear a lot of either positive or negative words from them, so as to weaken what is the realistic situation, we would good reason our freedom is undermined.

When very rosy pictures without any references to problems and difficulties are made to paint our economy, for example, then we have to be suspicious.

Also, when very negative portraits are done without any references to gains and achievements made, we should exercise a healthy dose of doubt.

Right now, my pet peeves are politicians and journalists who just bicker, nitpick, denounce, complain about anything, usually directed against a specific official, without offering any constructive idea or solution to the problems.

I hope we can go further than these useless exercises whose only fruit is to agitate the others and advance the personal agenda of some characters. Truth, freedom, democracy are not for destruction. They are meant to edify the people.