-A working credo for the life of freedom-
The Democratic Faith by Pedro T. Orata EMOCRACY, real democracy, establish a world government that will first flou r ished in the Greek pr omote peace and prosperity among all city-state, reaching its full deve- nations. We in the Philippines are a part of lopment in Athens under Pericles. There all the citizens, as members of the All- this world-wide process of democratizasembly, participated directly in law- tion. Our sacrifices in this war and our making. But citizenship was limited to participation in the council of free nathe free men who constituted but a tions have given proof of our desh'e to help build the new structure of democrasmall portion of the total population. In E urope much later, following the tic freedom and world peace. Yet, In Industrial Revolution in E ngland and order to make this desire d f ect ive in the French Revolution, the people, gra- fact, we must understand the r eal meandually and after r epeated struggles, ing of democracy and realize the responwere able to wrest concessions f r om their sibilities and obligations it entails. In r ulers that nullified f orever the doctrine this way alone can we become full y consof the divine right of kings and en- cious of the implications of democracy throned in the hear ts of the common for the guidance of our living. Educapeople the concept of liberty. From ·tion, better than any other institution, should lead the way toward the that time on the people ruled. In the United States, much later, the clarification of the meaning of democoncept of democracy was extended in cracy not only as a way of life but a. scope and meaning. By a Presidential , a way of educating as well. The mere profession of democracy is Proclamation, the sla.ves were f reed and given full citizenship rights, at least in no guarantee that one understands or theory. By legislation the women of interprets its meaning rightly, much less America were given the r ight of suf- pracUses it. Confusion among believers frage. This process of democratization in democracy has often developed because has been extended fur ther by the inclu- of conflicti-ng points of view regar,ding its sion of the entire west ern hemisphere requirements, t.he obligations that it imwithin the orbit of f ree n ations, and ul- poses, and the rights and privileges that timately it is hoped, as a r esult of the it guarantees. Among us may be found global war j ust over, of aU the colonial many superficial and even false concepand semi-colonial peoples throughout the tions of democracy. There are those who world. believe that democracy gives everyhody To complete this process of democra- the right to vote and to hold any pubtization, an int er national organization lic office r egardless of his qualifieahas been f ounded on the basis of the tions and fitness for it. Others interconcept of the "sovereign equality" of pret freedom to mean that one can do aU nation s belonging to it r egardless of precisely as he pleases, renounce all size, economic status or military power. social obligations, and treat the equal It is the purpose of this organization to rill'hts of others and even the laws of the
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