Nov 3, 2006 2:30:37 AM cite

Well, I don't know if we're living in a better world then a few years ago. In my opinion, the democracy is more and more an illusion to protect the power of the people, who lead the politics, the industries and at leat the buisness. What does me think like that? I think, not only in Germany people have many decicions to choose. There are easy questions like "which kind of fruit-juice would i like to buy?". This seem to be a silly question everyone could answer. Ask a hundred people and you'll get hundred different answers. How do you think these people will answer other questions - choose between other decicions? Subjects like when is it allowed to kill someone? you'll get a hundred different answers, right? Some will say, it's okay you'll kill someone when you're in danger, some other will decide to kill someone to protect their country. At least there will be people, who will tell you, they killed someone because his skin got the "wrong" colour. Do you think these people have the knowledge to decide for a whole country? Do you think these individuals should have the right to vote for their party? So we got so many decicions to quote, but first of all we have to decide which decicion we accept. To do that, we need a fundamental philosophy, which helps us, to answer the questions of the life. I mean, questions like: What is important for me? What do i want to do with my life? What did i do wrong? How could i change that? Do i have a moral? in german language there is the word of "Weltbild", which describes the view of a human of the world. This picture leeds him through all the questions of his life. This picture is build of the experiences we get in our community. But to build this philosophy young people need time. They have to work out their experiences for theirselves. But today there's not enough time for them. How could a boy or girl reflect the first sex between choosing the brand new ring tone and spending money for puff-daddy-sun-glasses? This all and some more (it's too late to describe that) let me think: democracy is not the best. I don't want to be leed by a elite of dummys, who have no idea of life and who think it is more important to look sexy and cool or to earn money money money to buy cars cars cars. My generation is a generation of selfish arrogant and ignorant stupid bastards. But give me an answer and maybe i'll change my opinion.

by Benediktus

Oct 9, 2006 12:34:42 PM cite

It has been said a thousand times before and sometimes that does mean it is true; it's the best system we have. If nothing else it is the only political state that does not punish dissent with electrodes to the genitals and if it ever does we will know about it and the guilty will be punished. We have rights, we take them for granted, we moan they are disappearing but we do have them.

by otter

Sep 15, 2006 4:10:03 AM cite

I would suggest that democracy must first be defined as to what it actually. If you mean democracy as it practiced in North America, where coddling precedent special interests are the order of the day, I would suggest, yes. If however you mean democracy as defined by an organization such as Democracy Watch, [http://www.democracywatch.org/functional-democracy.html] which defines, according to its agenda, what a democracy should look like, I would suggest, no. and if you can?t get a consensus on either one, I would sggest defining you own meaning and building on that.

by RedSevenOne

Sep 11, 2006 11:55:41 AM cite

Any answer to this question needs urgently a definition of democracy: If the elected politician is forced to act according to the will of his electors - i.e. "power to the people" - it might be the best way to handle politically the actions of a whole society - but is this realistic ? I find no way in the concrete democracy I live in, to have "my" politicians do what I want them to do ... So, maybe, it's the best of all the bad possibilities! But, if anyone finds a solution to reach the (idealistic?) democracy described above, please tell me about it !!

by wolf

Sep 10, 2006 7:53:31 AM cite

Until the individual is not recognized as the highest value in the Universe, there is no system worth to be considered. Democracy is based on a collective state of mind and it works only on the lowest common agreements. What everybody needs now is to expand consciousness and therefore being able to live in a co-operative way which does not impeed the liberty of the individual or in other words: From control to free choice - which is of course possible only with personal growth.

by mbl

Sep 9, 2006 9:10:57 PM cite

The world is an ever evolving place. Democracy is just one political form which we experience at this present time as something that can bring us close to freedom and better quality of life. However, it certainly is nothing final. We already can see where democracy starts to fail towards other areas of our time that are clearly evolving faster. For example, it took years until appropriate laws were passed in order to define law on the internet. Democracy is a very slow system and may prove to become too slow at some point. For now it may serve well and those who live in a democratic society may be grateful for it's benefits. It certainly does not hurt if we continue to develop new ideas and think outside the box to pave the way for future improvements.

by QuantumSpirit

Sep 9, 2006 5:01:18 PM cite

The answer to the question would likely be Yes. But that is only because we haven't experienced democracy yet. The best representative structures have us waddle to the polls, in ever decreasing numbers, and appoint our lackey to attend meetings that have more self interest than community benefit in mind. If we want democracy, it is necessary for us to participate in the process fully. I have heard all the arguments regarding the unweildliness of this suggestion but would suggest that the current system only favours those who are actively involved in its functional areas. Majority rule can create a system that discriminates and oppresses but I have faith that if we are all accepting our responsibility to particpate, then eventually this too will be remedied.

by everydayaction

Sep 9, 2006 3:44:51 PM cite

there certainly is, but we haven't found out yet.

by AvB

Sep 9, 2006 2:29:59 PM cite

Find some answers in Plato's Politeia.

by eijsenga

Sep 9, 2006 1:05:00 PM cite

Antoschka - Ekaterina Moshaeva: At the moment we have no better system better than the democracy. We must only bring democracy to a new level, make it free from all heavy understandings of democracy. Democracy means freedom of thinking, feeling, freedom to make your life, you know. Democracy is a wonderful political structure. A question is, what it means for us. In civilized countries democracy is becoming heavy, deformed formes. It isn't understood in the right way. May be a new system should be created, which would be called a global, wolrdwide democracy of the developed consciousness, a democracy of a higher mind. I think, that it lies not on a word itself, how do you call it, because nowadays democracy is one of the most positive structures. Of course, with time another social structure could be created, which would be based on a larger possibility, on a great personal freedom.

by Antoschka - Ekaterina Moshaeva