Opinion: Historical judgment on the side of democracy
Although human nature is flawed and capable of much evil, human beings have a moral sensibility. A basic element in human nature is the capability of distinguishing right and wrong. This capability appears in childhood and extends throughout a lifetime as human beings mature. You have probably heard a child shout loudly, “That’s not fair!” This moral sensibility is innate with humans and serves as a wall against which anti-human nature regimes collide. However, human moral sensibility is also a reason why democracies can survive. I say this here to help explain historical judgment on the two tendencies in human nature: desire for domination over others and desire for freedom from domination.
After the rise and fall of many rulers and regimes that dominated human life in kingdoms and empires, democracies began to emerge in history, primarily in smaller groupings of people such as city states. Opposing a general trend toward greater freedoms, dominating monarchies, making use of religion, developed in Europe claiming divine right for their absolute power. However, at the same time, also using both religious and secular ideas, in the 17th and 18th centuries and continuing into the 20th century, autocratic regimes were often taken down by revolutions and/or changed by reform movements. The ideas of human rights and individual freedom supported this development. In addition, the desire of human nature for freedom supported these movements for freedom and individual rights. Unfortunately, especially when the ideas were secularized, as in Communism, the needed changes were brought about in very violent ways.
America became part of the movement toward greater freedom in the 18th century. I believe America was fortunate that our Revolution was primarily a national revolution and when it was over, the Founders of the new nation made use of the ideas from Europe about rights and freedom to form our democracy. No government or society is perfect, but as a democracy, through many struggles, mistakes, and failures, America has survived a series of historical judgments that slowly improved our democracy. This is recognized in the song: “Glory, glory, halleluiah, God’s truth is marching on.” These self-corrections were able to take place because in a democracy, wrong and evil are exposed so that the people are able to recognize them and act against them by many means, primarily by elections.
It is not any special moral nature of American people that has produced our democracy. Americans are like all other people, who under certain conditions can come under the domination of authoritarian leaders and tyrants. Human nature in America had the right conditions for developing a democracy. This included the geographical isolation of America and the ideology of freedom and human rights. This made it possible for our democracy to emerge and slowly improve. However, it has been tested many times and most recently by those willing to use violence or the threat of violence to gain and hold power. This is a demonstration of the old desire to dominate others. In this case, the election season in 2022 showed that a majority of the American people sensed the immorality of those who use violence to gain power. Also, the American people know that in a democracy, the transfer of power must be peaceful or the democracy will fail.
The moral sensibility of the majority of people recognized that any president with authoritarian tendencies poses a danger to their democracy. Authoritarian rulers were experienced by the ancestors of Americans in all the countries from which they came, going back for many centuries. Human moral sensibilities came to see that domination by a single ruler with authoritarian tendencies was not a good way for the nation to go. In the end, democracies are founded on human moral sensibilities supporting human freedom and rights. The 2022 midterm election has been an example of human nature serving as a corrective for our government. Democracy makes this possible and reveals historical judgement on authoritarianism.
Historical judgments will continue and expand in the world, particularly affecting authoritarian regimes and lifting those who are oppressed. The transparency created by freedoms maintained in democracies makes historical judgments evident to the world. There are still tyrannies in the world. They fulfill the desires of some, often individuals, for domination. But they are contrary to the desire of human nature for freedom and personal rights, which democracies are built to fulfill. I believe historical judgment is on the side of freedom maintained by democracies.
Rev. Robert L. Montgomery, Ph.D., lives in Black Mountain
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Opinion: Historical judgment on the side of democracy
