A little kingdom I possess,
Where thoughts and feelings dwell;
And very hard the task I find
Of governing it well.
~ Louisa May Alcott

...that more or less describes my situation!

 
Politics is not a subject I usually ponder on, and I cannot be more in the dark about the political scene in our country, than it is possible to be…but I’ve often wondered whether the system of democracy – a Government of the people, by the people , for the people – is the best system of Governance to have. Atleast, the goings-on in our own country do not encourage me to think so.

Came upon the political philosophy of Spinoza ( he died before he could complete this treatise). Following is an extract, pertaining to the institution of “Democracy”, which I found interesting.

Democracy is the most reasonable form of Government; for in it “everyone submits to the control of authority over his actions, but not over his judgment and reason; i.e., seeing that all cannot think alike, the voice of the majority has the force of law.”

The defect of democracy is its tendency to put mediocrity into power; and there is no way of avoiding this except by limiting office to men of “trained skill”. Numbers by themselves cannot produce wisdom, and may give the best favours of office to the grossest flatterers. “The fickle disposition of the multitude almost reduces those who have experience of it to despair; for it is governed solely by emotions, and not by reason.” Thus democratic government becomes a procession of brief-lived demagogues, and men of worth are loath to enter lists where they must be judged and rated by their inferiors.

Equality of power is an unstable condition; men are by nature unequal; and “he who seeks equality between unequals seeks an absurdity.” Democracy has still to solve the problem of enlisting the best energies of men while giving to all alike the choice of those, among the trained and fit, by whom they wish to be ruled.



posted by Sylvia D'souza at 7:03 pm 0 comments

 
Sweet words...

Lovers' Infiniteness.
by John Donne

IF yet I have not all thy love,
Dear, I shall never have it all ;
I cannot breathe one other sigh, to move,
Nor can intreat one other tear to fall ;
And all my treasure, which should purchase thee,
Sighs, tears, and oaths, and letters I have spent ;
Yet no more can be due to me,
Than at the bargain made was meant.
If then thy gift of love were partial,
That some to me, some should to others fall,
Dear, I shall never have thee all.
.....


posted by Sylvia D'souza at 12:55 am 0 comments