In the transformed world political context of today, it is more essential than ever that the critique of democracy in the name of difference developed by oppositional intellectuals be formulated so carefully that these thoughts cannot be exploited for nationalist, tribalist, and xenophobic purposes. It is imperative that the politics of the 'differend' not be settled beyond and at the margins of democratic politics.Anonymous
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In the transformed world political context of today, it is more essential than ever that the critique of democracy in the name of difference developed by oppositional intellectuals be formulated so carefully that these thoughts cannot be exploited for nationalist, tribalist, and xenophobic purposes. It is imperative that the politics of the 'differend' not be settled beyond and at the margin of democratic politics. We need to begin by questioning what democracy means today. What is this notion of "democracy" that we speak about? We don't talk about it as a set of rules or as a way of understanding interactions between people. Instead, we often talk as though democracy is a value thing.
It is a value that we hold dear. A "democracy" means that we must all consider each other as equals, that we must respect one another, and that we must recognize our common humanity. We hold on to this idea even when it seems to be a negative reflection on our own country.
In some ways, it seems as though "democracy" has become an ideology over time. Instead, it should be an idea that pervades all aspects of life in our society - in our culture, in our economy, in our politics, in our education - because it is fundamentally true. It's true because it reflects what we do when we live together; when we are willing to share resources; when we are willing to listen to each other; when we are willing to compromise; when we are willing to work together; when we are willing to communicate; when we are willing to work for justice; when we are willing to make changes; when we are willing to act against injustice - even when others won't act with us or join us.
Democracy is not just limited to voting once every few years or holding elections every few years. It's also about how much time you spend with your family and friends, how much effort you put in at work, how much you try in school, how much compassion you show others, how much you help others who need help - or even when you choose not to help them out of selfishness or indifference - what kind of music you listen to or what kind of food you eat...it's about everything! Democracy is not just about political decisions but also includes everything else about life - but only if democracy is practiced well! Democracy should permeate everything - including religion!
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