In our schools and through the media, we are taught about our nation on the premise that our political body is legitimate. Its administration may be corrupted, but the underpinnings remain. We still fundamentally believe we live in a certain type of democracy where the government works with Canadians in mind, and those elected are our chosen people for this public service. But does the reality align with the theory?
To me, when I examine theory and fact, when I try to make sense of what I hear with what I see, they seem at odds with one another. I wonder, what's wrong?
So simple logic suggests may be useful to re-examine the basic premises of our thinking, namely political legitimacy. If politics is not legitimate, what is it? It appears upon a comprehensive analysis, or even a cursory one made with clarity, that politics in no more than a propaganda campaign perpetuated by our cultural dogma.
This political campaign invariably remains true to its goal, persuading the people to accept abuses of state power. And the people in state offices are the most faithful, the most ardent believers (I call them victims), of the campaign wars prior. And like many deeply religious faithful, the deeply political faithful feel a calling to the priesthood. They take on the message and, rarely straying from its piety, proselytize it to the people and the following generations.
In their quest to become admirable servants of the faith, the priests and priestesses lecture us from their campaign trail. They tell us that their political piety is true, that their sect is best, and that they deserve to be seen as the Right Honourable, Yes, they claim, they are acting in the interests of all, and hopefully with our blessing.
What makes these political priests and priestesses so convincing is that they do, in fact, truly believe. They believe in their hearts the dogma, that politics is in service for the people and the nation, and that everything is on the up-and-up -- despite the dissonance, despite the facts pointing elsewhere.
Their followers, the political congregation, taught similarly, believe the message (more or less). And together they perpetuate the fables of yesteryear.
Now doesn't this framework of understanding make sense of the facts and the world around us significantly better than the one we are led to believe?
