Democracy & sacred term Essay Example for Free

Democracy sacred term Essay Democracy is a sacred term associated with freedom. Freedom is an issue that has been fought for by a lot of nations worldwide. Freedom is a result of being independent, of possessing self-respect and dignity. Democracy is associated with freedom and vice versa. A true democracy is said to exist when the people of a given country are not deprived of their rights to vote, to express their feelings with the use of proper channels and when they can freely chose their leaders. The people sitting in government have a responsibility to its people, most especially to those who are oppressed and uneducated. It is often the case that during election time politicians gives out promises about the programs that they want to implement such as providing education for the poor. But, once these candidates are already proclaimed as winners they forget about their promises and do nothing about fulfilling them. There is an underlying reason for this and it is worse than what people think. In most third world countries, the reality is that politicians do not exert too much effort in alleviating the plight of the poor because they are afraid to educate the poor or make them literate. When these voters become literate or have gained knowledge, they would be able to vote wisely and this would mean that some politicians would not be put into office. The votes of the poor are the only things that matter to them and most of the politicians do not have a real concern about these illiterate people. The number of illiterates equate to the number of votes by which a potential candidate can use for his candidacy. The poor or the illiterate are segments in society that candidates and politicians alike would never give up on because they know that these people could help a lot in ensuring their success in elections. Thus, it can be said that there cannot be a true democracy if the people who compose the government are illiterate. (Bove, Carol. 2008. The Educational Theory of Jonathan Kozol. Retrieved from website http://www. newfoundations. com/GALLERY/Kozol. html). The reason for this is that these illiterate are deprived to choose the best people who would govern them. Education and knowledge are very important tools to the success of a nation. A government which deprives its constituents of the opportunity to learn cannot call themselves as living in a state of democracy. Instead, the opposite is true that without knowledge and education the government is destroying the lives of its people. The lack of education brings about many untold sufferings in a society and it is also the root cause of many problems. For one, the lack of knowledge or good education is the cause of poverty. Poverty is the evil that destroys the lives of many because many people use this problem as an excuse to commit crimes. This is the reality that gives life to the quote given by James Madison saying â€Å"A people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives. A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy, or perhaps both. † It is very important for any government that seeks to impose democracy to breath life and meaning to it. A democratic government should start by investing in the education of its people so that it can really be said that the former is a government for the people and by the people. The people and the government should work together if a true democracy really exists. The government should show that it is giving utmost importance to the participation of its people by taking into consideration the suggestion of the latter in making laws, rules, or other important functions. Douglass and Kozol are both correct in their observations and opinions that the cost of illiteracy is high and the damage are great. As already pointed out earlier, the problem on illiteracy deserves more consideration and in-depth study of how it would be addressed. An educated person is given endless possibilities in life to become the best that they can be, this privilege and opportunity is taken away from the illiterate who merely depend on what others tell them out of fear or desperation. Thus, these people who are illiterate are deprived of the freedom to live out their life as they please because they lack the knowledge on how to maximize their full potential. Kozol was correct in saying that â€Å"democracy is a mendacious term when used by those who are prepared to countenance the forced exclusion of one third of the electorate† since the educated and powerful people use the weaknesses of the illiterate to their advantage. The reality existing in society today is that good education is available only for those who can afford to pay for it. The government of the United States provide for free or low cost education which is not of good quality. Private schools in the country are very expensive thus the students enrolled therein are given the best that money can buy. Although the state provides for public education it is not as good as those being received by the students enrolled in private schools. Thus, there is an inequality at this level. The argument of Kozol that there should be a shift in the quality of education in that it should be made at par with those of private schools is within the concept of ‘malign neglect’. In essence, ‘malign neglect’ wants to give out the message that there seems to be neglect in the quality of education being received by the students of public schools. There should be equal opportunity of education to be received by all. (Kozol, Jonathan. May 23, 2002. Malign Neglect. Retrieved on May 6, 2009 from website http://www. thenation. com/doc/20020610/kozol. ) A high quality of education would help the government and the society to produce better individuals who can compete globally for the advantage of everyone concerned. The quote by Kozol saying that â€Å"This is the society which most of us did not create, but which our President and other leaders have been willing to sustain by virtue of malign neglect† is very accurate because the problems on illiteracy and poor education has been in existence for a very long time. Therefore it is a great challenge today to try to change the way on how things are at present as a result of the mistakes committed in the past. But, it can be done. If only the government would cooperate and listen to the needs of the people, changes could be proposed and implemented for the good of the society. It is not impossible to educate the illiterate or to give quality world class education to all children. It is not unknown to many that a lot of countries worldwide have fought for democracy to the point of shedding thousands of lives to achieve freedom and independence. A country which calls itself as a democratic nation should live by the true meaning of the word ‘democracy’. There is true democracy if the government is composed of people who were chosen by its people because they believe in their officials and not because they were lured by the latter to vote them as a result of false promises brought about by their illiteracy and poverty. Another aspect that deserves consideration is the need to upgrade the quality of education being received by students. There should be a proposal for the government to provide for an adequate budget for a good education for everyone without regard as to the social status of an individual. Without these aforementioned criteria’s, democracy remains to be a word that exists only in theory. Reference: 1. Bove, Carol. 2008. The Educational Theory of Jonathan Kozol. Retrieved on May 6, 2009 from website http://www. newfoundations. com/GALLERY/Kozol. html. 2. Kozol, Jonathan. May 23, 2002. Malign Neglect. Retrieved on May 6, 2009 from website http://www. thenation. com/doc/20020610/kozol.