Monday, December 12, 2016

De-friended

Well, Harry, you’ve really put your finger on the crux of the real issue.  It goes to the heart of government, and emphasizes why Democracy is so very difficult to work.  While authoritarianism makes every problem seem simple because it tells you what to do, and all you have to do is shout and charge into compliance, democracy is very different.  Democracy requires you to meet with people who are different from you, and who do not even like you or completely trust you, and you don’t trust them.  But democracy requires that you get to know them, and sit down with them and work together to solve a common problem.  It assumes that your solution may not work at first, and even if it does, the main problem will not be solved, but it changes and becomes a more complex problem, and you and your counterpart must develop a more complex relationship to deal with it and the other issues that you will create together.