I hesitate to get involved since so much of this feels like talking past
each other.
In my business I deal with people from a lot of different language
cultures and
from cultures who use the same language but in different ways. Math
and Physics
are about the only languages possible in these situations and only
because they
are so relatively simple and linear. The other modes of communication
demand more
respect for life's experiences and a willingness to really find out what
the other person
means by what they have written.
So an unambiguous fact about Democracy, is that Iceland has had one
longer
than any Western Country as was pointed out to me on this list last
year.
There are also many pure Democracies in traditional cultures around the
world.
They are however, remarkably weak militarily and usually small in
numbers.
We had several in this hemisphere with the "Cuna" in Panama being the
oldest.
It is generally considered to be a couple of thousand years old,
although
I don't know how they can tell. Their governmental form is the "town
meeting" similar
to the old New England version that the settlers took from the Quakers
and the
Iroquois Confederacy's "Great Law of Peace".
It is my understanding that the Maori in New Zealand are also a pure
Democracy
but perhaps one of our New Zealand list members could help with that
more than I.
The problem of respect, compassion and tradition that allows people to
leave
each other alone to work out their lives and yet cooperate together
governmentally
is not insurmountable. You just have to be willing to agree that
nothing will be
perfect and that you committ yourself to the children that are to come
at all
costs.
As for science and knowledge. Developing people's whole potential and
sensitively
dealing with the rigidity of that which is passing, in a positive
manner, allows
change to happen without the anger and destruction. Every group has
something
to offer and it is THAT truth that must always remain before us.
Otherwise it is just
a perpetual adolescence and we are condemned to always resent the young.
REH
Eva Durant wrote:
> >>I pointed out (often), that there are fundamental conditions for
> >>a proper working democracy, and these conditions did not
> >>exist in our history so far.
>
> >Then the reasonable observer would conclude they never will.
>
> What about universal literacy? What about
> the technology to make information
> universally available and open for everyone?
> What about the capacity to produce all
> basic necessities in abundance?
> What about basic experience in democratic de-
> cisionmaking?
>
> To my knowledge, some of these conditions
> only existed for less than 100 years and on
> the others we are still working on.
>
> So, who is this reasonable observer?
>
> Eva
>
> >Jay
