Re: [WDDM] Truer Democracy

[Richard Moore <rkm(at)quaylargo.com>]

Albano wrote:

> > "The citizens who give themselves representatives
> > renounce to do themselves the laws; they have no particular will to
> > impose. If they dictated their wills, France will be no more a
> > Representatif State, it will be a democratic state.

Hear hear!  Thanks so much Albano for your contribution. I happen to agree with you wholeheartedly. But many, as we have seen, do not.

I think we must recognize that there are a range of views in our group as to the meaning of democracy, and how much we imagine is practically possible to achieve.  Some of us believe that only real participatory democracy can achieve the promise of democracy, and some of us believe that is unworkable or unachievable, and that representative systems can be made to work.

We've had considerable back and forth debate on these issues, and I for one have reached the conclusion that we will never agree, at least not with the current context of dialog. Speaking again for myself, I am not in favor of any voting approach that would aim to settle this issue and lead to an official "WDDM view" that excludes any of us.

If we really believe in democracy, then I think we need to learn to deal with diverse views, even in our own midst. I'd like to see our charter revised -- it is incomplete in any case with no mission statement -- so that we articulate the vision of a democratic society, without trying to be prescriptive of its exact form. We all want an effective, functional, democratic system, but do we really have the experience, knowledge, and wisdom to define it concretely at this moment? Have not wiser people (your favorite hero here, Jefferson or whoever) tried and failed?

It seems to me we would be doing a service to the larger community if we 'hold the focus' of seeking a democratic society, and relate to other organizations from that perspective. What can they contribute to an understanding or a practice of democracy? What can we share with them? How can we collaborate? I see us as declaring a mission: to seek out a path to democracy. Not enough people are taking that on as a challenge. We do not need also to pretend to know exactly where the path may lead.

best regards,

richard