Democracy

“Democracy creates stability in a society.”

“If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, the will be best attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost.”

-Aristotle

In my opinion, democracy does, to a certain extent, create stability in a society. However, we should first define the key terms in the statement, such as ‘democracy’, ‘stability’, and ‘society’. The word ‘democracy’ commonly refers to the indirect ruling of the country by the citizens. What this means is that the people of a country are the ones who vote for their leader, who makes most of the decisions in the country. It is a system where everyone is allowed to have their individual opinion, and one where the majority rules. ‘Stability’ can be defined as a state in which the society is in a relative state of peacefulness, with a low crime rate. Additionally, a stable society should be a conducive environment for people of all professions. Finally, ‘society’ can be defined as a group of people who live together and share a general identity.

Now that we have defined the key terms in the statement, we can begin to delve deeper into the topic itself. I believe that democracy does create stability in a society, as it allows each individual to have his or her say. Hence, it cannot be said that democracy is an unfair system of government. In fact, it is very fair, as everyone is given equal opportunities to voice their opinions. Democracy also creates a sense of stability because the elected leader often feels indebted to his voters, as if he feels responsible for their well-being. Hence, the leader will try harder to fulfill the citizens’ needs, bringing the society one step closer to stability. A good example of how democracy creates stability in a society can be seen in Switzerland. Switzerland utilizes direct democracy, in which all citizens who wish to participate have sovereignty. This form of democracy has reduced corruption rates in Switzerland, thereby creating more stability in the country.

On the other hand, it can also be said that democracy does not bring stability in a society. If the majority wins by a small percentile, then the losing party, which would be almost half of the voters, would feel compromised and would no longer support the government. This would create a divide between the two parties and weaken the government’s authority in the society. Another example of how democracy fails to create stability in a society is evident in societies where there is a majority and a minority. For example, in Sri Lanka, the different regions of the country mainly consisted of a Sinhalese majority. Hence, the Sinhalese majority took every opportunity to vote for something that worked against the Tamils. This is known as tyranny of the majority, in which the majority twists democracy to their own needs and uses it to discriminate the minority. Tyranny of the majority could lead to disastrous results, such as violent outbreaks between the two parties.

In conclusion, I believe that democracy does create stability in a society, as it empowers the common man to voice his opinions and take a stand. In cases when democracy is misused to disrupt stability, it is not because of democracy itself, but because of the people who are misusing it. Hence, I believe that democracy does create stability in a society.