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No Idle Questions

Sep 09, 2014
by Caroline Miller
Mark Lilla, Our Illegible Age, why America democracy fails in the Middle East
4 Comments

I’ve often wondered why our form of democracy is so difficult to transplant in Africa and the Middle East.  One reason might be because of our diversity.  We began as a nation of differing cultures rather than a homogenous one.  To get along we had to build a tent large enough to cover most of those differing views.  The need to accommodate divergence might be the reason our form of government goes to great lengths to protect the rights of the individual.  Contrast this notion of democracy with how it’s practiced  in Scandinavia where there’s been a homogeneous population for centuries.  Democracy there places emphasis, not on diversity but in promoting social equality.  The wealth of the nation is shared and an individual has the right to fail but only so far.

 Mark Lilla has examined the failure of American democracy in the Middle East and believes our emphasis on personal freedom is at the heart of the problem.  What it loses in translation  is how the rights of the individual co-exist with centuries of traditions — a commitment to one’s place in society, a respect for elders, obligations to family and clan and devotion to piety and virtue.  “(Our Illegible Age,” by Mark Lilla, The New Republic, June 30, 2014 pg. 47)

Lilla’s essay is dense and  complex so I can’t discuss it in full but by placing a spotlight on personal freedom, he raises a question about how far that value can take any society, including our own. When, for example, we extend personal freedoms to corporations — the right to free speech and to hold religious views — have we allowed the concept to override common sense?  The Supreme Court’s decisions in Citizens United and Hobby Lobby  feel like  open wounds rather than  resolutions.  How this diverse nation is going to heal and become one again is no idle question.  But how far the meaning of individual freedoms can be stretched is another.

pandora's box

Courtesy of www.truthdig.com

 

 

 

 

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4 Comments
  1. Christine Webb September 9, 2014 at 9:51 am Reply
    Caroline, this makes a lot of sense. But what did you mean by the statement, "The wealth of the nation is shared and an individual has the right to fail but only so far"? In addition to being a homogenous society, is the Scandinavian population so few in number that the government can give everyone compensation sufficient enough to keep everyone at a basic level of success, both mentally and physically? Perhaps these citizens have found the formula for creating their own Utopia.
    • Caroline Miller September 9, 2014 at 10:21 am Reply
      I meant the Scandinavian countries provide a safety net to provide each citizen basic care. Any endeavors beyond that are the successes or failures of the individual. Hope that helps, Christine.
  2. MaggiWhite September 9, 2014 at 9:53 am Reply
    Excellent topic. Insightful.
    • Caroline Miller September 9, 2014 at 10:17 am Reply
      As always, appreciate and value your comments, Maggi.

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Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Portland, Oregon author Caroline Miller had distinguished careers as an educator, union president, elected official and artist/advocate.

Her play, Woman on the Scarlet Beast, was performed at the Post5 Theatre, Portland, OR, January/February 2015

Caroline published a serialized novelette, Marie Eau-Claire, on the website, The Colored Lens.  She also published the story Gustav Pavel,  a parable about ordinary lives, choice and alternate potential, on the website Fixional.co.

Caroline has published four novels

  • Ballet Noir
  • Trompe l’Oeil
  • Gothic Spring
  • Heart Land

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