“We tend to assume that our American legacy promises us liberty and the pursuit of happiness—no questions asked. But I learned from my reading of the founders’ work that just as you aren’t promised freedom in the American contract without the reciprocal expectation that you will risk yourself to defend freedom, so you aren’t promised happiness or even the purely self-regarding right to pursue happiness. That’s a myth.” – Naomi Wolf, Give Me Liberty
Many people think democracy is some sort of self-propagating institution. Once set in motion, it needs little guidance or attention. This couldn’t be further from the truth. As soon as people stop paying attention, those in power abuse their power. A small amount of bureaucrats can shape, influence, undermine and destroy the people’s rights. Once it starts, it slowly gets worse, a little at a time. In modern times, this has been referred to as moving the Overton Window. The Founders of the United States understood this well. It’s embedded in the Declaration of Independence.
As Naomi Wolf writes, the Declaration’s language:
“…is quite difficult; it is the formal language of a very formal time far removed from our own…We tend to think that the Declaration intends something pleasant and benign…but it turns out the Declaration of Independence is about our continual duty as Americans to rebel…[its] first long sentence asserts the ‘right to revolution.'”
In fact, the Declaration “…charges us categorically and always as Americans to rise up in person against threats to liberty.”
Democracy is not a natural state. It requires attention, participation, protest — and when necessary — restoration.
Paying attention only on election day is to not pay attention at all. If you are too busy to understand and protect democracy, you will lose your freedom. Many in history have awoken to an oppressive government, only to ask, “How did it come to this?”
Darrick Dean 