Series IV Does Democracy Have A Future?
THE SINE QUA NON OF A LASTING GOVERNMENT
(Carefully Taught)
Sine qua non refers to that without which something cannot exist or happen. It is an absolute prerequisite. I suggest there is a sine qua non to the continuance of any government whether that government be a despotism or a democracy. It is an education system that grounds the citizenry in the principles of their government in a manner that elicits their total commitment. Dictators have always understood this pre-requisite while democrats have tended to ignore it.
Benito Mussolini was a despicable dictator leader of Italy during WWII but he understood what was necessary to sustain his government. Here is how he said it:
It is the state which educates its citizens in civic virtue, gives them a consciousness of their mission and welds them into unity.
– Benito Mussolini
Joseph Stalin is one of history’s most brutal dictators – responsible for countless millions of deaths during his reign of terror over the Soviet Union (1929-1953). Given his obvious and callous disregard for the citizenry’s welfare, how is it possible the people could have allowed him to remain in power? The answer is that he installed an education system that endorsed his leadership despite its gross negative consequences.
Why would despots embrace this truth while democrats ignore it? One reason might be that democrats are opposed to indoctrination and often confuse education and indoctrination. The primary difference is that education is open to being questioned and corrected while indoctrination is not. Indoctrination is a form of demanded education which is usually supported by force. However, that education is converted into indoctrination does not invalidate the following principle:
Other than a common enemy, education is the primary social factor that can guarantee a unified nation.
Any education system in a democracy that is powerful enough to fulfill this principle will enlist five persuasions throughout its curriculum:
- It will be the same in beliefs and values at all grade levels.
- It will be geared to the mental capacity of each age level.
- It will be stated with the conviction of truthful sincerity.
- It will be sustained throughout the entire system.
- It will be open to historical correction.
These persuasions unify the system in both content and maturity level.
The essential problem in America is that education is left up to the individual states and reflects not only their peculiar history but their historical biases which defy national uniformity. The consequence is a profound lack of grounding definition. This compounds and fuels conflicting perspective. Consequently, the nation thrives on wrong perceptions and misinformation. Examples of this are the false notions that democracy is about individual freedom and the pursuit of economic fulfillment. This lack of grounding is the seedbed of democratic confusion and destruction.
The history of the nation reflects this seedbed. The Civil War, the Jim Crow Cultures, and the suppression of women’s rights and minority rights are glaring examples. My own education, especially through High School, is also an example. I do not recall ever having a discussion about the nature of democracy other than as a focus on individual freedom and protecting state rights. And it is very apparent that a large segment of the citizenry understands the success or failure of democracy to be equivalent to their personal financial status. This view is so pervasive it will determine the outcome of most elections.
Donald Trump was a president who sought to overturn every democratic principle and norm he encountered. He managed to downgrade America’s status as a democratic model and destroy bridges of international cooperation. Yet, Common Dreams reports that over sixty billionaires continue bankrolling his attempts at overturning the past election that ousted him and putting him back in office. And close to forty-five percent of the citizenry continues to back his destruction of democratic election guidelines. What this support speaks to is a profound citizenry ignorance of the meaning and manner of democracy.
Abraham Lincoln informs us about the relationship between education and government:
The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the government in the next.
-Abraham Lincolm
If Lincoln is right, given the present state of politics in America, its national education system has not been favorable to democracy.
Will democracy survive in America? Here is my answer and I believe the answer of human history: Only if we install a national system of democratic civic education pervasive of every grade level. And even if we do so, it will take a number of years for this to show its impact on national life. But, we have no other choice but to act and have faith in the outcome because education is the sine qua non of any lasting government.
And here is a supportive statement by Franklin D. Roosevelt:
Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
If you believe achieving such a national system will be too difficult to attain, then, just look at where the prevailing alternative is rapidly taking us.
Robert
mythinglink.com
As President Franklin D. Roosevelt once put it – “We have a rendezvous with destiny.” …and, so it is, we are at a defining moment, if we will but give ourselves to it for the common good of people and planet! Education is the key!