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All over the world, we see the implementation of these two ideologies of government—democracy and communism. Depending on the country you’re from, chances are that you’re very familiar with one of the two or a variation of one of them, or a mixture of both. I’m not going to dissect the two concepts and try to be overly intellectual about them. What I will be doing is look at the general approach of the two systems, and outline 3 points I’ve identified as common between the two.
I grew up in Ghana which is traditionally authoritarian and somewhat communist. What do I mean by this? Ghana is made up of various ethnic groups which are governed by chiefs. Just like in a monarchy, power and ownership of lands are centralized, and since the chief is generally responsible for the welfare of the group, he takes decisions accordingly. The chief and his council, generally, try to maintain living standards by leasing lands for farming and other economic activities. Every person cultivates and harvests what they need and sell the leftovers. Profits are then divided with the chief as some form of tax, and the chief in turn uses the taxes to develop the community and help the less fortunate. Nobody is left wanting for anything and within optimal conditions, this cycle is consistent. Today, this traditional government structure is largely non-existent.
Over the years, with the global power shifts, Ghana has moved from authoritarian to socialist to democracy; however, the community spirit of the Ghanaian people remains unchanged. From a young age, in school, I was drilled in the tenets of democracy which is defined as: government of the people, by the people and for the people. Back then, it sounded idealistic and interesting to me but after realizing how inconsistent it is, it has become more difficult to appreciate it. Personally, I don’t think democracy, despite its perks, has been good for Ghana— but who is listening?
Fast forward a few years and I’m in South Korea, a country toeing the line of democracy but surrounded by communist nations— North Korea and China. Though advantageous in some respects, it is very clear to me that communism is not the solution neither.
People usually spend lots of time arguing over which system or ideology is best for government. At a glance, it is easy to eliminate systems that are primitive, or those that have failed to live up to their appeal, or were so crude they had to be abolished.
Nonetheless, we seem to be stuck with democracy or communism. Of course, the general consensus is that both systems are inadequate but have to be maintained since a better system doesn’t exist.
This is where I become ambivalent: on one hand, I agree the two are no good and on the other, I disagree a better system doesn’t exist.
Let me just get on with 3 reasons why, despite our best efforts and intentions to preserve democracy or communism, they are both bound to fail.
1. The premise of democracy, not too different from communism, is just wrong.
Democracy and communism at their core advocate placing trust in humans. “What is wrong with that?” you may ask. To answer that question, you’d have to answer this: What’s wrong with the blind leading the blind? If your answer is “nothing”, then you can skip to the next point. Otherwise let’s keep going.
Now don’t get me wrong here. Humanity in its refined form can be good; but, in its natural state lies immorality, wickedness and selfishness. Everybody wants what they want and nobody sacrifices for the other. Therefore, placing trust in people and expecting them to be absolutely moral and selfless in their decisions with regards to others, is a difficult and untenable road. This is more so in the case of democracy where representation is prevalent. In the case of communism, I imagine everybody would have to genuinely care about everyone else which is almost impractical given human nature.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Jeremiah 17:9
2. The two systems have no definition of the common good.
If I were to ask a general question about what the common good is, everybody will almost certainly give me a different answer. That right there is the problem. When everybody is pursuing what they think to be good, it is so hard to move in the same direction. If good is relative and what is good for me isn’t good for you, then how do we live together?
The thing is, people have different perspectives and this informs their sense of right and wrong. For anything to work, everybody related must be on the same page; however, this is often not the case. In democracy, the majority rules the minority whereas in communism, the state simply decides for everybody. In both cases, a decision will be made but the outcome of decisions are not always favorable to all parties because there’s always going to be bias of some sort. The dissent and unhappiness that results further highlight this flaw.
For anything to work, everybody related must be on the same page; however, this is often not the case.
3. No human system is perfect!
Generally, as you may already know, everything on earth decays and nothing created by man is a 100% efficient. Have you ever asked yourself why this is the case? You probably have! Man over many centuries has learnt to live with his imperfections and in all things, pursued optimal rather than perfect. Eventually, whatever is not perfect passes. If you and I can agree that neither democracy nor communism is perfect, then the logic follows that we can agree that they’ll pass too.
Man over many centuries has learnt to live with his imperfections and in all things, pursued optimal rather than perfect.
Life, however, is not all doom and gloom. There is always hope—a place of perfection where everything is in perfect harmony. Your mind probably just drifted to heaven right? Heaven is such a place but my focus here isn’t that. In this instance, I’m referring to something that is here and now. Something you can easily access and which following will make you a winner, despite the imperfection of the systems we find ourselves.
Right here, in this moment. I want to introduce the fear of God.
You see, living by the culture of God gives you moral absolutes that simplify life in its entirety. In the world today, everything is relative to something else. This greatly complicates everything as it becomes very easy to lose your point of reference.
Fearing God provides a way out. This is not about being afraid or having some kind of a God-phobia. What is really meant here is paying reverence to the supreme God of the universe—living life in a way that shows you’re accountable to him and growing in the knowledge of him.
Growing in the knowledge of him is simply to know who he is and gradually but continuously incorporate his ways into your life. His ways are the ways of love. You may have heard or know some of them.
In my ever-increasing experience, I have observed that getting closer and always choosing his ways make me wiser by the day, and my life is always much fuller as a result. I encourage you to get closer to God and incorporate his culture into your life. I promise you’ll never regret it!