The experience and wisdom of millennia does not come easily, and the path I have taken to thrive as a main contender of today’s political scene was not an easy road. I often traversed long stretches of neglect and rejection. Yet I was undaunted, although, like a virus of sorts, I only lived on only in the minds of men and women. I would often give myself words of encouragement, more often than not in the third person to alleviate the loneliness that comes with being an ideology: “Worry not, Democracy, people will come back to you in the end. You will be justified, vindicated, and become the epitome of modern, progressive, civilized politics in contrast to the abuses inflicted upon you and burdens of years of neglect.” I was sure that I would one day be embraced by most of the world. And how could I be dissatisfied with the consent of the majority?
As a young child, I was quite reactionary, without a purpose in life or a set of defining factors. In the beginning, I was created as an ends to the means of human satisfaction and a conduit to voice the desires of unhappy beings. Naturally, nobody likes being used, especially when I felt that the just distribution of powers was only a side-effect of my clients’ more materialistic or emotionally-motivated goals. Of course, that was in my days as a private consultant, when my services were used to settle disputes between individuals—I was often called upon with the classic, “Let’s vote on it.”
But settling petty disputes that only required a very limited understanding of who I really was made me a dissatisfied youth, and like most unhappy youths, I soon set out in search of myself.
It was in tribal society that I found my calling—in politics. I was consulted on important matters that determined the goings-on of whole communities, decided who would rule, or resolved matters of law and conduct. Though the societies were primitive and their votes not always the most prudent, I felt needed and was sure that this was my purpose in life.
Though I was still relatively unknown, I set out to see more of the world. My travels took me to Mesopotamia and Sumer, where I was disrespected and in constant conflict with certain enemies I acquired during my stay. Power, Corruption, and Authority were some of my arch nemeses, but they could not always prevail against tides of change and dissatisfaction—people come to me when they need a solution to their political problems.
Nonetheless, my enemies constantly worked against me, in ways I couldn’t compete with. Whoever held or aspired to hold Power could. In fact, oftentimes he would sit on their shoulder, humbly offering advice, as only a dwarf as small as him could. Corruption often catered to a person’s weaknesses, and the voice of Authority often justified many a leader’s actions.
In my journeys, I could never lose them, and over the centuries, they are still as influential as ever. In those early years, I left the Middle East to fight among themselves and execute their power-plays without me, and went east to the sanghas and ganas of ancient India. There, the same problems plagued the change I tried to effect. So I decided to focus my efforts on Europe, where the city-states and progressive thinking of the Grecians showed promise to my searching eyes.
In Ancient Greece, there was constant tension between the Greek city-states and even within them there were calls for reform that often resulted in political upheaval. In Athens, I found a friend in Solon, a poet with whom I spent much time and had many discussions with. He greatly enjoyed my company; so much, in fact, that he soon became a lawyer and lawgiver of sorts, promoting my ideals and negotiating reforms between the conflicting classes in Athens in 594 B.C. I was overjoyed that I was being taken seriously and being used towards good. Of course, after Solon passed the city fell to tyranny for almost one hundred years. Then the politics of Solon were remembered by Cleisthenes and the age of Athenian Democracy truly began; only improving as time progressed.
It was under Pericles that I became radical. My circle of influence was previously restricted to an upper class of citizens that ran the government. Pericles, who was like a father to me, showed me how I should truly be—how I had to give everybody equal opportunity and rights in order to live up to my name. Under his rule (in my name of course), Athens as a center of learning, the arts, and trade and commerce flourished. There were some rough times, but throughout those decades I learned just how much good a previously unrecognized idea like me could be. I was proud of my work.
My experience in Ancient Greece showed me the possibilities of what I could do and gave me the self-confidence and worldwide recognition that I needed to succeed. Armed with new tools and an entourage of acquired ideas, I ventured further into civilized Europe and found myself in Rome. There, I had a son with, um, that doesn’t matter, whom I named Republic. He had the same ideals as me, but the Romans preferred going through him to achieve my goals instead of taking matters directly to me. But I didn’t worry—my son was aided by a not-so-sorry SOP (Separation of Powers) and other ideals aimed at halting Corruption, Power, and Authority. Of course, the lure of Corruption, promise of Power, and voice of Authority are tough competitors to beat. In the end, after more than four-and-a-half centuries of using my son’s services, Republic was defeated and replaced by a dictatorship; Power, Corruption, and Authority had won again.
I was saddened, but history runs in cycles and defeats like this were only to be expected. Afterwards, my son and I traveled around the world helping were help was needed. During our journeys, the west where Democracy had been embraced and molded to fit their ideal government was ruled by monarchies, and Power, Corruption, and Authority ran rampant (or rode horses recklessly). During the Enlightenment, I felt relieved when the philosophes started remembering what my son and I had done, and thought, wrote, and spoke about Democratic and Republican ideals once again. I enjoyed reading the treatises about my family and associates; Montesquieu even went into depth about Separation of Powers, which surely made SOP happy.
The culmination of all of these revolutionary ideas including me (and believe me colliding with a bunch of other ideas can be an unpleasant experience after a while) was the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America. In short, I was stoked that my son and I could be part of the foundation for the rest of the… better Enlightenment ideals. In America, my son was more successful than I was—the founding fathers thought he was the best thing since untaxed tea (little did they know that tea would be taxed by the American government! Oh nO!).
While he was thriving in America, I visited some other countries that preferred more direct involvement of the people in government. Eventually, he settled down in Maryland and I found a pleasant, not too big (nor too small) home in a middle-class neighborhood in Switzerland. What I especially enjoyed was the knowledge that I was still developing and changing even in my old age. In the end, every body of every race/ethnicity, gender, etc. gained a voice in government and the right to vote.
Nowadays, my son and I still travel the world, helping where help is needed and being all we can be: ideals. Lately, there have been uprisings against Power, Corruption, and Authority in places they have reigned for too long. There have been calls for reforms and I have been consulted to help in many cases. Yes, indeed, I feel young again with all the political upheaval and reform. Even after being around for thousands of years, there is still change to be made in my name throughout most of the world. As long as there is a need for reform, I, Democracy, will still be alive…and kicking.
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