the dark side of democracy

Lewis points to the dark side of democracy today in A Year with C.S. Lewis.

He says, through the voice of the devil Screwtape, that an insidious form a democracy exists which discourages people from being fully who they truly are. Of course, Screwtape is encouraging this concept.

And we see this in aspects of society, don't we? People who are "offended" when we express what we genuinely believe? When we truly live out our faith? People who would have us short change ourselves on our own identity because it would make them feel bad.

Now, before I go any further, I'd like to point out what our response to these people should be. God is calling us, daily and in every relationship, to love. We should respect their dignity even when (especially when!) they don't respect ours. We should treat them with kindness and gentleness. We should take care of them.

But.

We should not let anyone force us to edit ourselves into a version that is less than fully true. Ayn Rand got many things wrong in her philosophy. But one thing she got very right was that we should never let society make a person LESS than they really, truly are. We should not let that dark form of democracy drag people down. Democracy should always lift people up. If it's causing people to be less than they are able to be, then it's the wrong kind of democracy.

Tomorrow we celebrate the right kind of democracy. We remember the sacrifices that men and women throughout history have made so that our country can fight injustice in the world and create a safe place for families to flourish. Have they done this perfectly? Of course not. Our country is a human institution, and that always means "mixed bag". But tomorrow, we look at the bright side of democracy. Let's make sure we live out that form, and have the courage to not let the dark side drag us down.

God, thank You for giving us wisdom to know the difference. Please help us to bravely be ourselves... and be kind to those who are different from us.