Democracy is representation of
people’s voice through votes. Each person is assured a voice in the process of
governance through his or her (or their) vote. Voting age in most democracies is
fixed at 18years, it is assumed that a person becomes physically an adult hence
mentally mature to decide. It is also assumed that all adults have
understanding to weigh in myriad factors to decide what is best for society. This
is an idealist version that hinges on wisdom of voters who may not have any
such proclivities, far from it they are easily swayed by emotions or crass
selfishness for immediate gain, lack basic faculties to comprehend enormity of
the task, or else are controlled by insular group affiliation which has least
concern for general good or personal wellbeing except as primal protection
through herd cave member. The level of primitiveness gives lease to systems of
control that undermine process and makes democracy a structure for
exploitation. This is being celebrated as democracy across the world, all the
while disparities increase, nepotism and corruption are common place, as
society scrape lowest denominator of possibilities. Democracy is hardly the voice
of people or approximation of their aspiration. It is an expression of control,
of money -as guardian of neoliberal system and feudal power -assimilative
patriarchal control of human and nature through systems of faith, regressive
traditions and manipulation.
To be a human is a
responsibility. A responsibility not defined by human controlled systems nor
confined to personal aspirations -essentially expressions mediated by
controlling systems to perpetuate itself. Responsibility arises through sense
of individuality, awareness of self. A human has the arduous responsibility to
nurture himself or herself (or themselves) as an individual. A state is duty bound
to invest in inclusive systems that essentially is about valuing humans as individuals.
Which means to negate controlling systems that foster extractive systems. Commonsense
observation and study of basic facts indicates that this clearly is not happening. We
live within an exploitative controlling system as the arbitrators posing as
different persuasions of democratic debate occupy varying scale of opportunism.
It is a mock fight to keep the control and rarely about asserting democratic institutions
(severely dented in neoliberal exploitation, juvenile religions isolated from
reality and feudal institutionalized traditions). So, people end up using democracy
to bargain and barter for short term gain from the exploitative and corrupt system.
While exploitative systems wanton greed encourages more voters, more followers,
more consumers, more production…consequences are dire as untenable human
population and increasing consumption has severely drained natural resources
and is collapsing earth’s living systems (of many indicators one is Earth
Overshoot Day -humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a
given year exceeds what earth can regenerate within that year, in 2024 it was
August 1st , meaning humanity used up 1.7times what earth could
sustainably provide that year).
If this is how the world is, then
an adult having voting right doesn’t really suffice to be a democratic society,
indeed it has become problematic as it incentivizes human population, nor does
it propose any solution for immediate problems or existential crisis. System has
to evolve and be responsive to reckon with emerging realities. Voting humans
are incapacitated to take responsibility of wellbeing of society nor capable to
represent other species or earth’s ecosystems. It is therefore important to disincentivize
human population -burgeoning belligerence as voice of democracy. Evolved societies
invest on quality of living and are acutely concerned and take responsibility for their
surroundings, hence will naturally have low fertility rate, while each human strives
as an individual to value complexities of life, empathy for other creatures and
be abreast with emerging challenges as they strive to be better humans. It is
but natural for technology to take the burden of human drudgery hence give
value and dignity for life. Hence AI is expected to synergize such evolved
societies that care of others as also for nature. Progressive societies cannot
be seen as a failure, and so allowed to be negated by barbarianism under the
garb of democracy. Neoliberal capitalistic vandal narration and herd churning religions
cannot be valued as votes over humanity and all that is cherished. It is time
that the concept of democracy is updated to be inclusive and vibrant to fragile
contemporary reality.
Country need be demarcated into equal
regions to have equal representation. It is time to realize that area of land and not number of
humans that matter and that habitat needs to be represented by human voice. Democracy
needs to evolve from anthropocentric framework (ofcourse it brings new
challenges but the complexities of solution can be worked for fairer world, or
is tried for atleast a decade so as to stop climate catastrophe and biodiversity
collapse). Humans are part of society, society is part of humanity, humanity
includes all the concerns of earth and other species. This representation is
what now matters.
