Democracy is an evolved thought to associate human into a thriving system that safeguards individual liberty and strives for equality. It therefore provides space for humans to evolve into better selves while synergizing to create a better world. But as Socrates warned more than two thousand years ago that it needs people to be skilled to vote and not be based on their emotions or random intuitions or birth right. Voting is an intellectual right that checks the reason and persuasion, and it has to be earned. It has to be earned by making an effort, being responsive to society and by educating oneself. The reason why education becomes such an important parameter for the survival of democracy. Education therefore is a birth right of every child. Education must be necessarily be attuned to exposing all the ideas and thoughts to encourage inquisitiveness and logical rational choices based on empathetic awareness and philosophical predicaments (and a possibility for wisdom). A civilized society will necessarily invest in education on a priority basis. It will be concerned about education system, and will keep refining it while continuously augmenting the infrastructure. Future of humanity is dependent on it. Primitive societies and its conceptions are therefore assault on humanity and constantly seek to degrade. Education produces the wherewithal to be vigilant. Hence quality education should be wrenched out of religion and market frame as these plays to ineffectual efforts and creates pliant human that works to mindlessly enhance the system. It seeds potential to herd. Contemporary problems can be pointed to these mindlessness.
An ideal society is an egalitarian society that effortlessly rationally self govern in a grassroot level participation. In such society systems of dealing will refine itself as the participants. It is not a surprise despite shortcoming some societies produce best of human endeavors whether in science or art, and these hold future of humanity. It is but expected that conscientious objectors like Greta Thunberg can only arise from Scandinavian countries. For liberty to assert individuals must be free to think and associate, education therefore provides the necessary skills for discernment. Any system that pulls an individual away from this possibility therefore is a threat to liberty hence to democracy. It stifles the possibility of human hence the chance for thriving society. It becomes a violation of being a human. It’s an abuse of human rights. Two systems that pose such a debilitating threat to humanity are Market and Religion. Market because it exaggerates and manipulates need while asking to compete and consume. It creates a superficial world and dealings that constantly assaults human mind and converts it into constant craving, an unthinking consumers. It seeks to monetize everything and creates meaningless choices in a diminishing world. It nurtures humans who are least bothered about their surroundings except as investment for returns. It’s a dangerous system that has severely undermined individuality while exploiting nature and giving impression of liberal companion of democracy. While religion has been discussed umpteen times herein so will not be going into the details except that it is a serious threat since it isolates sentient humans from their surroundings into herds with fantastical vision frozen in time. It is not only a loss to humanity but a constant source of nuisance and source for most contemporary problems and strife.
There are deep entrenched group that nurture these at the expense of humanity. This then ensnare the human minds as consumers and followers making it ineffectual. These “sweetshop owners” (as Socrates so rightly evaluates) nurture herds by pandering them with sweet talks and dire consequences. These herds are threat to democracy as they are incapable to make choices since they lack faculties to discern. They lack what make them human. What can be more tragic than this?
