“All men are created equal,” they cried as they etched in stone the greatest constitution of the “greatest democracy on Earth”.

The US constitution, often quoted as the best-composed Declaration of Independence, by mankind to mankind, is considered superior in thought, wisdom, and compassion. It clarifies the stress on equality, the pursuit of happiness, and justice for all, yet authored by honourable slave owners.

Words matter, they say, but deeds lag behind for centuries — often, never.

While democratic values are applicable anywhere and everywhere, perfect application is hard to achieve or likely impossible.

Imperfect men thought of a perfect idea, but democracy remains a work in progress, never quite done.

No blame, no shame, democracy rests on a promise, unfulfilled. Men do try. They flirt and they trifle, they dance and romance, but despite the courting they never quite commit whole-heartedly. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride, democracy is chased but never wed. Is democracy unsurmountable, or is man indifferent, apathetic or impaired?

Every so-called democracy has fallen short of the promise implied by its ideals. Perhaps the fault is not “in our stars, but in ourselves,” nonetheless it is the best form of government man has yet been able to devise. Think of all the other systems we know. It will make you shudder.

Man has courted democracy since the beginning of time. Anthropological studies have shown that humanity has a long history of “government by discussion”, where ancient groups, tribes and clans practiced some form of democratic procedures as in China, Southeast Asia, Africa, and others. The romance flourished in Greece as early as 600 BC. That is considered by the West as the birthplace of democracy.

Because the Greeks viewed dictatorship as the worst form of government, they happily created its exact opposite. They bestowed democracy on their citizens with the exception of women and slaveholders, which is about 50 per cent of the population.

Two-thousand years of knowledge later, in 1776, the Americans flouted the same system of equality. So much for their reverence and respect for humanity.

The dream of a perfect society as in Plato’ Republic, the ideal city of Kallipolis was nothing but a totalitarian rule that modern readers would find repulsive. Rather than a Utopia we constantly face with dystopia.

Try as you can, the result is that the rich always come on top. Consider the latest election campaign between the two parties of the US: Democrats vs Republicans. The campaign for the Democrats cost over $1.1 billion, while the Republicans spent one-third of the amount. In most cases the “free and fair” elections are replaced by ready cash. In this case, the candidate was unusually inadequate.

Deep pockets buy plenty of political influence as pervasive as it was during Plato and Aristotle. The cash for authority is an idea as ancient then as it is now. Might is right again and again. Ideas once sublime fade in time, rendering the noble man complacent. Democracy, by all means yes; in practice absolutely not.

The irony is that all this agony and expense is for naught. Democracy or republic are the same thing — a government in which the people vote for their leaders in contrast of a king or a monarch. In Greek, democracy is the rule of the people; in Latin, republic is the public good — two sides of one coin. Why bother to have two parties, spill all that money on a wasteful campaign? Better feed the hungry and heal the sick.

What about the other great democracy in the world. It is not even a democracy, but a monarchy. Why does Great Britain, or the United Kingdom, call it a democracy? Most monarchs were toppled, why did they retain some and not the others? It is all so confusing.

Throughout history democracy has been corrupted versions of the ideal. With Christianity the concept that all men are created equal in the eyes of God was again a theory, a hypothesis, an ideal. During the Middle Ages, feudalism defied the sanctions of God’s commandments.

Independent thought was reborn with the availability of books. Knowledge spread like wildfire, igniting the growth of democracy. Learning brought a new sense of individual freedom. Man learned to defy monarch, society, and even the Church. Martin Luther opposed the power of the pope and led the Protestant Reformation.

Freedom, once savoured, could no longer be contained.

Democracy was discovered once again wearing new shining garbs to dazzle its followers. Philosophers ignited the flames of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. They danced around the bonfires of their awe-inspiring newborn. Abraham Lincoln cried: “As I will not be a slave, so I would not be a master.” They got so close, so close, but not quite, never quite.

When or where did it happen that citizens truly participated in the formation of their government? “A government of the people, by the people, for the people” can never be completely by the people. The disparity between rich and poor exists in the richest democracies.

They talk and they talk, they think, they write, they profess, then they talk again.

Man’s triumphs are to transfer his thoughts to acts. Diminished in function, he remains imperfect.

Yet, good men paid democracy a debt of gratitude for conceiving the ideas and ideals of humanity.

Despite the illusion man should continue to think, to dream, to court the idea, not of perfection, but of compassion for all — equally.

“Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains.”

Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)     

* A version of this article appears in print in the 21 November, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly