He wasn’t alone, of course, in provoking my concern.  Empowered bullies in China, Russia, Brazil, the Philippines, Hungary, Israel, Venezuela, numerous African nations, and right-wing aspirants to power in many other lands raised the spectre of fascistic governance. Theocratically inclined religious leaders - as in Iran - and others endowing political brutes with divine authority demonstrated their amnesia that “God is love” and justified their quest for and exercise of power in the name of a coercive, punishing false divinity.

All of these political leaders contributed to the global slippery slide of democracy.  Some intentionally sow seeds of suspicion, fear, hate, discord in order to justify their increasingly despotic rule. Others just follow suit, not so much knowingly as negligently allowing democracy’s often messy ways to be trampled by a stampede to stable – read despotic – rule.

What unites most of these denigrators of democracy is an anthropology which sees others as servants or pawns for their ambitions and pretensions.    Narcissism we’ve learned is well-represented in their character profile and ways of being.  Their leadership is a matter of compulsion, fiat, and force. Their lust for power prevents them from trusting divergent opinions resulting in the appointment of sycophants incapable of being honest lest it cost them their job, their influence, their freedom, their life.

  

The Nazi government of Hitler’s Third German Reich* and Stalin’s autocracy in the Soviet Union are among the exemplary leaders destroying democracy and establishing totalitarianism. There are others, but the scale and viciousness of these two examples is breathtaking and uncompromisingly evil.  

Their ways have been replicated elsewhere to varying degrees and in too many places. There, where human life is expendable in the interest of clutching and retaining power. Where lies flow freely. Violence lives just under the surface or “when necessary”  is used liberally and malevolently to show “strength” or in photo-ops to appear benign.  Money controlled by plutocrats buys anything – ethics and morals play no role. Religion is bent or destroyed in service to the power mongers.

Democracy has been waning; forces to shatter democracy and nations abound.

Enough! Since November 3rd or so, a light started shining at the end of the dark and sinister tunnel. Not yet a powerful light. Efforts to extinguish the light proliferated persistently;  then culminate on January 6th in a tragedy-filled display of hate and violent insurrection.

  

But the darkness does not overcome the light.  

The Spirit’s gifts – invested in every human child of God - flows in enough people so that on January 20th the darkness flees before the shining sun. A new administration swears to honour the Constitution and to serve the whole people – a signal that democracy still has power, and the people everywhere have reason to hope.

The gentle but powerful voice of a grounded young black woman who climbed the hill to interpret the scene reverberates.  She sheds truthful light on bad and good, convoking a people to not just see the light, but to be it! (Memories of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 5.)

That call crossed our unprotected southern border. It assured hearts – including mine - that democracy’s demise need not be taken for granted. We can live on impatiently awaiting evidence of new human-friendly directions:  directions pointing  towards unity, justice, equity, respect for Creation and diverse others, and peace, embraced not only by the new administration, but by leaders - political, civil society, business, etc. Together they might just harvest fruits demonstrating that governance of, for, and by the people brings hope-filled joy, there and here and everywhere on God’s good earth.

May it be so. For a while I’ll pursue topics other than “Democracy’s Slippery Slope”……….…

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• See the Pilgrim Praxis Theme Post 1 through 8 for an account of the rise of Hitler’s power in the fragile Weimar Republic and the aftermath of his democratic election victory which quickly led to successful power grabs resulting in totalitarianism. 

 https://www.minister.ca/democracy-s-slippery-slope-theme-post-3