Pedro T. Orata

-A working credo for the life of freedom-

The Democratic Faith

by Pedro T. Orata

DEMOCRACY, real democracy, first flourished in the Greek city-state, reaching its full development in Athens under Pericles. There all the citizens, as members of the Allsembly, participated directly in lawmaking. But citizenship was limited to the free men who constituted but a small portion of the total population.

In Europe much later, following the Industrial Revolution in England and the French Revolution, the people, gradually and after repeated struggles, were able to wrest concessions from their rulers that nullified forever the doctrine of the divine right of kings and enthroned in the hearts of the common people the concept of liberty. From that time on the people ruled.

In the United States, much later, the concept of democracy was extended in scope and meaning. By a Presidential

Proclamation, the sla.ves were freed and

given full citizenship rights, at least in theory. By legislation the women of America were given the right of suffrage. This process of democratization has been extended further by the inclusion of the entire western hemisphere within the orbit of free nations, and ultimately it is hoped, as a result of the global war just over, of aU the colonial and semi-colonial peoples throughout the world.

To complete this process of democratization, an international organization has been founded on the basis of the concept of the "sovereign equality" of aU nations belonging to it regardless of

size, economic status or military power.

It is the purpose of this organization to 40

establish a world government that will promote peace and prosperity among all nations.

We in the Philippines are a part of this world-wide process of democratization. Our sacrifices in this war and our participation in the council of free nations have given proof of our desh'e to help build the new structure of democratic freedom and world peace. Yet, In order to make this desire d fective in fact, we must understand the real meaning of democracy and realize the responsibilities and obligations it entails. In this way alone can we become fully conscious of the implications of democracy for the guidance of our living. Educa·tion, better than any other institution, should lead the way toward the clarification of the meaning of democracy not only as a way of life but a. , a way of educating as well.

The mere profession of democracy is no guarantee that one understands or interprets its meaning rightly, much less pracUses it. Confusion among believers in democracy has often developed because of conflicti-ng points of view regar,ding its requirements, t.he obligations that it imposes, and the rights and privileges that it guarantees. Among us may be found many superficial and even false conceptions of democracy. There are those who believe that democracy gives everyhody the right to vote and to hold any public office regardless of his qualifieations and fitness for it. Others interpret freedom to mean that one can do precisely as he pleases, renounce all social obligations, and treat the equal rill'hts of others and even the laws of the

state with eontempt. A corollary to this point of view is the conviction that "democracy is to be measured by the ease with which an individual of enterprise

and t.alent can acquire property, rise in

the economic and political world, and eventually enroII his name or that of his children among the socially elite." W HAT is the real meaning of democracy? It is generally admitted that democracy is more than a form of government. It is also a species of economy, a variety of social philosophy, a way of life. Lord Josiah Stamp quotes in an

article, "Essentiar Characteristics of

F'oeracy," the following succinct analyof the various aspects of democracy:

It is generally supposed that liber-

ty is a simple and single conception;

when it is studied it is found to con·

sist of four elements, united, indeed,

at bottom, yet often separate, and sometimes opposed. There is national liberty - the freedom of one's country from foreign rule. There is political liberty-the freedom of society from government by a despot or an oligarchy. There is personal libertythe freedom of the individual to think, speak, and act as he will, subject to the equal rights of others. And there is economic liberty-freedom for the ordinary man from the restrictions imposed by poverty, overw()rk, bad environment. The man who is fully free is one who lives in a country which is independent, in a state which

is democratic, in a society where the

laws are equal and restricti()ns at a

minimum, in an economic system in

which he is assured of security and livelih()od and comfort.

There have been many attempts to c()dify the articles of the democratic faith. Although no two such codes are exactly alike, they alI contain the fundamental beliefs and convictions of the great seers of mankind from every land and clime. They are embodied in customs and traditions, In Bills of Rights, in systems of law, in ethical codes, in

religious creeds. Hereunder is an at·

tempt to list the fundamental tenets of democracy as they may be applied and implemented in our educational system.

ARTICLES OF THE DEMOCRATIC FAITH Democracy is a society of free men1. In which human life is valued above all things else and cannot be used for a purpose alien to its nature and welfare; institutions are weighed finally by their effect on individual growth and development; and provision is made for the maximum realization of personality, character, and excellence, subject only to the limitations of unequal natural endowment and the slow and Uneven pro-

cess of economic progress;

2. Which recognizes the right of cit-

izens to rule themselves; i. e., to propose measures and policies and to discuss

them freely, to decide issues at the polls,

and to appraise, criticize, and amend decisions made; and imposes the

ponding obligation to be socially informed and intelligent about issues presented, to abide by popular verdict reached by due process of law, and to seek reversal if desired, by the same method; 3. Which is made effective by freedom of the press, of speech, of conscience, and of thought; validated by

constitutional process; sanctioned by cus-

tom; protected by institutions of government; and made possible by a pol-

icy, economic order, and competence

necessary to promote and maintain the kind of society in which freedom can be enjoyed; 4. Which, through an "ambination of governmental structure and

a social and economic order, provides

maximum individual freedom and equal opportunity for every man to find his place among his fellows, to achieve selfsupport, maintain self-respect, and ren-

der social service;

5. Which, as a living organism, dy. namie and flexible, rather than an inert

--

fabric or fixed structure, possesses the capacity for change in order to meet new requirements and conditions; 6. Which flourishes in proportion as citizens have faith in the honesty and integrity of their fellow men and possess the willingness and intelligence to cooperate with them in advancing the ends of personal and social living; 7. Which recognizes the superiority of the method of peace over that of war; of reason, b'u th, .and intelligence over that of dogmatic imposition and prejudice; and accepts compromise in the provisional adjustment of conflicts and

controversies;

8. Which depends on organized edu-

cation for its survival and improvelnent,

and is sustained and fulfilled by the discipline of free men to put loyalties and knowledge to socially desirable use and to order life in the light of understandIng and toward the attainment of socially shared purposes; 9. In which racial, cultural, and political minorities should not only be tolerated but respected and even valued with the proviso that whenever such minorities employ the liberties of democracy to undermine and eventually to corrupt or destroy those liberties, they forfeit the guarantees of a free society; 10. Whose combined welfare no less than the welfare of the individuals composing it requires that the individual be born well and be given all the opportunities necessary to develop his potentialities to the utmost, subject only to his' own individual limitations and his willingness to share the same rights with other individuals; . 11. Which places emphasis, not upon getting things done quickly and perfectly, but in having them done with a view to widening the al'ea and extending the scope of the common concerns and purposes of men by the deliberate process

of consideration, compromise, and ad·

justment of the various interests involved; 12. Which, living under a reghne of peace and law, promotes a fraternal and friendly spirit among all men; establishes everywhere a condition of equality,

sympathy, and kindliness; recognizes no discrimination based upon family, race, nationality, religion, politics or economic

status; and employs differences derived

from diverse ancestry, life conditions, or

personal aptitudes or convictions, not to found rival and hostile groups, but rather to enrich the common life;

13. Whose success "is measured, not

by extent of territory, financial power, machines, or armaments, but by the desires, the hopes, and the deep-lying satisfactions of the individual men, women, and children who make up its citi-

zenship."

14. Which rests on faith in the intel-

ligence of the common man and on a

lief in the possibility of a rational approach to human problems.