How democracy works

Re: What happened to democracy — Aug. 8

We may need to educate ourselves about what democracy is and how it functions.

We like to believe that we are democratic because we cast a vote for persons who we believe will consider what is best for the citizens they were chosen to represent. What we learn is that not all citizens are represented. While we cannot please everyone, when we undertake to serve only a few with a view of improving our own lot we need to be careful that we are not anchoring ourselves to a “Titanic.” The hive survives only as long as the queen/king bee understands that workers and drones (which most of us are) are essential to its survival. Sadly, it appears that the queen/king bees and “wanna bees” believe that they alone are the main ingredient for the survival of the hive. Not so.

History has proven time and time again that this is not how it works. The remnants of past hives are often found buried under the next big development or lying at the bottom of an ocean just waiting to be retrieved by archeologists, studied and displayed in the museums of the world. We will always be faced with an aspiring queen/king bee and wanna bee. They need to be reminded with our collective voices that they are responsible to the hive not the other way around. We need to be wary of those making promises. Too often promises go unfulfilled amid the smoke and mirrors.

Nor should we assume that human rights are separate from human responsibilities. We cannot demand human rights without contributing to the process that allows us to have human rights and true democracy. Mary Stercer Kitchener