Is democracy a failure?

Is democracy a failure? In my opinion, it is. But it’s a convenient failure. It didn’t result in a fascist regime, it hasn’t resulted in the deaths of millions of people, it hasn’t resulted in wars that will cause extreme damage to the world. 

Humans haven’t created a flawless system. Every system is flawed. But think about this deeply for a while. Is it really the system that’s flawed? I beg to differ.  A system is only as good as the humans that develop it and implement it. It doesn’t matter if you have a communist government or a democratic government; if you have good and noblemen at the helm of these governments, they’ll do a good job. It’s men who either pollute the system or paint it with vibrant colours.

Now, let’s think again. Is democracy a failure? This system has given us freedom. The freedom to have individual thought, the freedom to criticize the people running our country and most importantly the freedom to dissent. Dissent in so many other systems can mean certain death. In a democracy, everyone has a say. Power is scattered among people rather than in hands of one person or a selected few. Now, we squander this power with apathy, when we blithely vote for a person from our caste or religion or because he’s a distant relative or for some personal benefit. We squander this power when we fall for the blatant publicity stunts and propaganda. 

Democracy may not be perfect, but it is a culmination of humanity’s effort to come up with a just and kind system.