Who Do You Trust?
Has there ever been a time when politicians were trusted?
And on top of that, shouldn't we always hold the people we chose to represent us to a higher level of responsibility?
They are just as human as the rest of us and as we all know we are all capable of erring. Right now I think one of the main problems we are dealing with (as far as the division in political ideals) is how we look at our duly elected leaders.
The idolization of leaders leads to a larger problem. When you can no longer question what your leader is doing, nor allow others to question, you no longer have an elected leader. You have a cult leader. The problems begin.
In my opinion, the very root of democracy lies not only in choice but in the ability to action that choice. It seems that people have forgotten that part. Democracy is choosing a leader that will uphold the things that are important to you. When they no longer do that, it's time for them to go. Also, a part of democracy (that is my word of today) is the (supposed to be) polite discourse that comes with a difference in opinion.
That politeness doesn't exist anymore. There is a certain part of the population that seems to think that their opinion is the only one that matters. And their leader can do no wrong. That sounds more like a dictatorship than a democracy. And I am not here for that.
Free choice means free choice. My rights matter just as much as everyone else's. And I expect the same respect back. There is no freedom when the choice is eliminated. Telling me you're fighting for me when I don't share the same opinion, and then telling me I am wrong in my opinion is not how this works.
There was a viscount by the name of Gwilym Lloyd George, he is known for being a pithy sort of fellow. There is a quote by him that I love, and I think suits the current situation. Not only of our current government but of those that are trying to throw over the government in the most undemocratic way. Viscount Gwilym said: "Politicians are like monkeys. The higher they climb, the more revolting are the parts they expose".
There is a heck of a lot of swinging monkey parts out and about right now. It's time to realize that Lord Acton was right when he said "absolute power corrupts absolutely". Anyone trying to overthrow a democratically elected government doesn't want to lead in corroboration where others and their opinions matter. They want to be the only ones who speak, the only ones to make the big decisions. And I don't know about you, but that is not the country I live in, and those people do not represent me in any form.
I thought for today's song, I should keep up with what seems to be my favourite word of today. So I went with Democracy by Leonard Cohen. I think this song is really fitting for what is happening right now. Yes, in the song he mentions that democracy is coming to the USA, but I think if he were around today he would make another Canada version.
One of the lyrics of this song that sits with me the most is: I'm sentimental if you know what I mean. I love the country but I can't stand the scene. And I'm neither left nor right". This song was released on the 1992 album "The Future" (which has another favourite of mine, "Closing Time").
This song, in typical Cohen fashion, was written at one time, then later revisited. Initially written in response to the fall of the Berlin Wall, it became about America's need to revisit it's own democratic ideals.
Shopping time!
The Little Book of Leonard Cohen
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