In order to make progress in our fight for democracy, we need to start identifying ourselves as “we the people”. In most situations, there is a distinct separation between those in power and those putting them in power. We live in a democracy that is defined as a system of government by all eligible members of a state, so basically, the people as a whole are supposed to be the leading force of their system of government. Yet, those with political potential make decisions at the expense of the people they are supposed to be protecting and providing for.

As the people, we need to make conduct changes so that we can be ready to reform democracy rather than just sitting around waiting for it to happen on its own. We spend our time complaining about having to do work, buying into the system that keeps making problems because we let them. We devote our time to temporary fixes rather than solving one of the most impactful issues that will last for generations. We have lost faith in our nation and limited the capability for better change. Instead of pleasure-seeking and conforming to the congenial habits of life, we need to fight for our government to be led by the people.

A part of making conduct changes is breaking the current status quo and shifting the preconceived narrative to further prevent the hindrance of our societal progress. By not doing this we allow ignorance to grow and overcome us. This involves breaking out of individualistic and self-centered mindsets. It means having compassion for our nation and others. 

We need to stop dismissing our current power as a community and turning it into a “we vs. them” narrative. We give them the power to misinform us and pressure us to work with what is given to us rather than to select what we want. What I mean by this, is that we have the ability to vote from the options presented to us. Those options don’t always seem adequate for the required position, they don’t have the passion or the fervor that we expect of them when tackling important issues. We should drive our focus to read between the lines and not be manipulated by the system. This will help us dissect if their interests are pure or not.

We gave political systems too much power over us and our resources. For so long, we have cried out for change, for a solution to our issues with gun violence. Schools get shot up despite a call for security and nothing truly gets done, leading us to feel that we have no voice. We live in a time where some of our states allow teenagers to legally possess firearms and those firearms do not have to be registered. We live in a world where the answer to violence is more violence. 

In the time and place that we are in now, it is becoming increasingly clear that a call for dissecting political lies has fallen upon us. This should be learned in schools and taught to upcoming voters, the power of the capability in using our voices. We need to start acting as a community, by learning and growing our individual and societal power. This means leaving behind the “land of the free” propaganda and assessing where we actually are as a country. By this I mean that we operate under a democracy and to some people, that is the full definition of freedom. We are not free, however, from things such as racism, injustice, and prejudice based on our difference which should be celebrated and not have us subjugated.

This is why the expression of culture goes hand-in-hand with the ideals of democracy. By expressing our culture, we are building foundations to respect each other’s individualism for the purpose of truly connecting our society together as a whole.