“BUT I DIGRESS“ consists of “HEAD TREKS” that represent the conversion of random thoughts, sometimes as “QUICK TREKS”, observations, philosophies and rants into a form of modern cursive expression better known as computer keyboarding. From time to time these thoughts are also summarized under the heading “IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN: QUESTIONS I CANNOT PRESENTLY ANSWER.” Additional and sometimes more easily readable blogs can be accessed at headtrekking.blogspot.ca

HEADLINE: CALLS INCREASE TO DEFUND POLICE IN FAVOUR OF COMMUNITY-LED SAFETY ORGANIZATIONS

“Good day. You have reached 911. We hope you are keeping safe, maintaining social distancing and wearing a mask. Remember, be kind, be patient and be calm. How may we help you today?”

“I need to speak to the police. This is an emergency. Four people have broken into my house. They have raped and killed my mother, killed my father and I think they are looking for me to do the same.”

“Thank you for your phone call to 911. Please be advised that this call may be recorded for quality and training purposes. From where are you calling please?”

“I am hiding under the bed and whispering so that maybe they may not find me before you send the police to help me.”

“Thank you for your request. Please be advised that we no longer have a police department, but we are certainly interested in hearing of any problems you might be having, and for which we might be able to help you.”

“But I need help now. I think if these people find me they will kill me too.”

“As a community-led safety organization, we stand ready to aid you in whatever way is suitable for your particular problem. In order that we might direct you to the proper unit that may optimize this help, be it the social services department, gender equality department, street vending department, solidarity department or whatever, we will require a description of the four people that you allege have entered your house in an allegedly uninvited manner.”

“For God’s sake, I need help now. I can hear them trashing the house and searching every room looking for me. They will kill me if they find me.”

“Just a brief description will do ma’am, if I may be permitted to address you by that appellation, so that we may undertake to help you in a timely fashion.”

“I can’t give you a detailed description of them. I took to hiding under the bed when I heard them kill my father and rape my mother, but I think they consist of three men and a woman; and one might be a minority.”

“A minority and a woman? My goodness. We will unfortunately require you to fill out two forms before we can attend to this matter. Should you not possess a computer and printer, you will be allowed to fill out the forms online and forward them to our department. We advise you to attend to this matter at your earliest convenience so that we might respond in an equally expeditious manner to your problem”

“In the meantime, stay safe and remember, we are all in this together. May I have an appropriate electronic address so that the required forms might be forwarded to you?”

“Hello?”

“Hello?”

“Are you still there?”

Copyright © 2020 Ian de W. Semple

“BUT I DIGRESS“ consists of “HEAD TREKS” that represent the conversion of random thoughts, sometimes as “QUICK TREKS”, observations, philosophies and rants into a form of modern cursive expression better known as computer keyboarding. From time to time these thoughts are also summarized under the heading “IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN: QUESTIONS I CANNOT PRESENTLY ANSWER.” Additional and sometimes more easily readable blogs can be accessed at headtrekking.blogspot.ca

 THE CYCLE OF DEMOCRACY

From the COVID-19 pandemic to racial unrest in America to major political unrest in various other regions of the world, the year 2020 will be a noteworthy addition to the history of mankind; notwithstanding the year is not yet half over. My country of Canada, while of insignificance as an important component of the world’s population, is also undergoing a major political divide and economic threat, namely that of a federal government and a number of provincial counterparts bent on destroying the only viable economy the country possesses that can build a comfortable and prosperous middle class society; namely that of exploiting our prodigious natural resources in a responsible manner reflective of modern standards.

So will 2020 be politically and socially pivotal as well as notable for the world? Perhaps for those living within a democracy as well as those shut out from such, a look at the cycle of democracy may if not answer that question, at least give us pause to reflect.

The “Cycle of Democracy” is a formulation that has been attributed to Scottish Professor of History Alexander Tyler in 1770; although this attribution apparently remains doubtful in the minds of many. Various alternative attributions remain still under debate.

Nonetheless in a 2020 environment of major biological, political and social unrest, no matter what its true attribution, be it singular or collective, it remains an interesting and provocative concept and a challenge to identify where in the cycle might present democracy reside.

The concept of the “Cycle of Democracy” rests on the following unattributed premise:

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.”

“Great nations rise and fall. The people go:

from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage;

from courage to liberty;

from liberty to abundance;

from abundance to selfishness;

from selfishness to complacency;

from complacency to apathy;

from apathy to dependence;

from dependence back again to bondage.”

When considering the pandemic-related social adjustments imposed on democracies to one degree or the other by governments, will these adjustments be temporary or permanent?

Thus might several questions be posed as to where in the cycle of democracy were we through 2019; where might we be in a post 2020 environment, and is the postulated 200 year cycle of democracy a valid one?

 

(Diagram attribution in dispute)

Copyright © 2020 Ian de W. Semple