Citizenship’s serious

On Thursday, Benjamin Hemingway suggested that democracy’s time is up, that the majority of citizens are unable to understand political issues. At first I took it for satire, but no, it seems it’s for real. I didn’t want to commiserate with this opinion. Nevertheless, I have to admit that he is right.

Still, I want to think that we can do better. Civics and history should be more effectively taught in school, and people should read more.

It is important to remember that, in the beginning, our government was designed to work aristocratically. The premise on which our government was founded was unique in the world and not many fully understood the nature of this—still don’t. We have expanded our electorate since then, but are they imbued with enough philosophical understanding to properly perform their elective function?

Ordinary citizens were not then and are not now allowed to govern. However, they do elect those who do. How are we doing on that? At this time the premises of our founding are in question. It is not clear that everyone agrees in the primacy of freedom and individual sovereignty. We should all be in the same camp on that, but instead we are polarized.

Citizenship is serious stuff. We all need to look at both sides and try to bring them together. Yes, individual freedom is primary, but it is also true that “social organization is the chief means of individual survival” (Diderot). We’ve got to work together to make it all happen.

Argue with your opponents, but try to see what truth they possess. I guarantee you: It’s there. PRESTON BROWN

Little Rock