Perfect democracy is as idealistic as communism. The problem is that the realities of human nature get in the way.
One impediment is that it seems people like to think they are separate from government — that it’s an ‘us and them’ — they don’t see (or don’t want to see) themselves as being part of the system. But mere existence has an influence on other people, therefore existence is an inadvertent act of community participation.
A community is like an ecosystem. One way or another, directly or indirectly, we each have an influence on the people around us. It is through this interaction that, even without showing up to public meetings or voting, every individual has an effect on the whole community. The collective of those perspectives, opinions and decisions is what shapes and defines the community and determines its successes or failures.
Unfortunately, a large portion of our community chooses to abstain from public decision making processes. They do not pay attention to the process and refuse to accept any responsibility. Yet, they seem to have no trouble complaining about the result.
So, what does it mean for democracy when so many people choose to not participate directly? And what does it do to democracy when so many complain bitterly while sitting on the sidelines?
How could our society engage more people in public decisions? How could the capacity of citizens for participating constructively be increased?
In recent posts, I’ve noted some ideas and challenges to consider.
- James Surowiecki warns that intelligent networks depend on independent thought. So, what happens to public decisions when a lot of people simply adopt the opinion of someone else?
- Ray Anderson notes that it is human nature to be adverse to change. How does this adversity impact the capacity for recognizing problems and considering a range of solutions?
- I suggested that assuming someone is corrupt avoids having to actually consider their perspective. How does this lack of trust impact the quality of public decisions?
- I also suggested that democracy would function better if citizens questioned their own assumptions before criticizing someone else’s decision. Is some degree of introspection and self-awareness necessary for building public consensus?