Democracy — Greatest Invention of Mankind
Happy Independence Day. I was born in India and now I’m living in the U.S.A.. I’ve enjoyed the great democracies of both countries, and I count this as a blessing every day.
Most of us who are living in democratic states today have not been ruled by monarchs or dictators, which is exactly the reason why we should celebrate our independence. We can live, play, and work where we want. Yes, there are many opportunities for improvement, but — considering the alternatives — this is the best option. To quote Winston Churchill, ”Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…” Every time you feel that our politics are corrupt and you’ve lost your trust in our government, remind yourself that you have the freedom to think or say so. That freedom, my friend, is the greatest gift, and it’s only possible due to the greatest invention of mankind — democracy.
What is Democracy? Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as, “a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections”. We the people are decision makers. Of course there are certain rules to play this game by. Sometimes the majority of voters — our fellow citizens — think like us and sometimes we can be in the minority. Ultimately we have the right to think, communicate, and vote.
My fellow citizen, you have the right to vote! Yes, you do! I am not saying we should not complain about what our elected representatives are doing, or rather, not doing for us. Along with complaining we should think, communicate, and vote. Every time you do not execute your right Yes it’s your right. I will go ahead and say it’s not just a right, but it’s our fundamental duty to vote.
We are all celebrating Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and many other brilliant creators — which we should for their contributions to society. What is the most brilliant invention of all? Is it your phone, car, airplanes, electricity, or your independence to enjoy all the above?
How do we continue to work on our independence? We can do this by respecting it. How do we respect our independence? By thinking, communicating, and most importantly voting. Most of us work for someone or for a corporation. I believe we should have paid time off to vote. If you have PTO as a benefit, take a half a day off to vote if you are too busy at work. Nothing is more important than our independence, don’t you agree?
Thank you to all those who fought, and to those who are still fighting for our independence today! Let’s get out and vote on the next Election Day and every Election Day to come. Let’s keep our democracy! Let us pass this gift to our future generations, and continue to cherish it. Happy Independence Day!
