Is Love Essential to Democratic Citizenship?

I think that “brotherly love” is an essential component of ethical democratic citizenship. You may wonder what a democracy truly is. Some people have made the definition complicated, but the actual definition is quite simple. The word comes from two Greek words meaning "rule by the people". So democracy is simply a form of government in which the citizens have power. Think about this question, "what is the reason for having a democracy?" The answer is this "sure that our individual rights are upheld". Some may say that it is their job to make sure that they themselves have rights, not to make sure that their neighbor has rights. But think about this: what if your neighbor had a similar philosophy concerning your rights? If this was the case with everyone, no one would have rights and we would have downright anarchy. Then there is the matter of ethics. Is it ethical to be selfish? Is it ethical to take someone else’s rights away so you can have yours? Basically, if we don’t have this brotherly love toward our fellow citizens, then there cannot be a true democracy.

The Gifts of Black Folk, Part 2

Quotes

"Maturity is always about mustering the courage to look forms of death in the face and to not hold it at arm's length and not escape from it, but work through it."

- Maturity is facing your problems (in this case the problem is death) and working through it (if possible).

"Tell me what you attend to and I'll tell you what kind of a person you are."

- Actions are a better judge of character than words.

“Sooner or later life is going to knock you against the wall and push you to your knees"

- There are certain unavoidable facts of life, one of which is death.

"Imitation is suicide."

- When you try to be like someone else you 'kill' your individuality.

"Success is only a means to greatness."

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