Democracy

I’ve committed this year to studying matters in the Pacific; specifically matters pertaining to China and Taiwan. 

The first book I’m reading is called The Trouble with Taiwan by Kerry Brown and Kaley Wu Tzu-hui. On pages 96-97 I read the following: 

“Democracy does many things. But Taiwan adds further proof to one of these. It doesn’t just change institutions and processes, but more fundamentally it changes people. When they can express their irritation or support by actually voting for them rather than feeling powerless, it changes the relationship they have with politicians.

It also changes people’s relations with each other when it means they can openly dispute specific problems and policy positions and act through the ballot box on them. Whatever its current challenges, democracy since 1996 has irrevocably changed the nature of the Taiwanese and had a huge impact on life in the island. It has meant people now know their society and themselves better. There are few illusions. Leaders and the led know far more about the nature of public opinion, and how it shifts and changes, with the good and bad that come from that. More profoundly though, rather than just being a process, democracy has created a much more liquid notion of what it is to be Taiwanese. It has had an impact on people’s identity and how they see themselves.”

Like this, The Book of Mormon or Covenant of Christ is unique among scripture because it shows how self-government works when people are free to speak, choose their leaders, and live under equal law. It records a society where liberty and democracy function well so long as the people are morally grounded and willing to reason, repent, and govern themselves. 

The system only broke down when fear, pride, anger, and factional emotion replaced restraint and obedience to God—showing that the greatest threat to self-government is not law or structure, but unchecked human emotion.

“And now, my son, I’m afraid the Lamanites will destroy this people since they don’t repent. And Satan is continually stirring them up to be angry with each other.  So I’m working with them constantly. When I speak God’s word with sharpness, they’re offended and grow angry with me. When I don’t use any sharpness, they harden their hearts against it. I’m afraid the Spirit of the Lord has stopped struggling with them.  Indeed, they become so incredibly angry that it seems to me they aren’t even afraid of death. They’ve lost their love for each other and constantly thirst for blood and revenge.  Now, my dear son, despite their hardness, let’s work diligently, because if we were to stop working, we would come under condemnation. We have a labor to perform while we inhabit our mortal bodies, so we can overcome the enemy of all righteousness and rest our souls in God’s kingdom.” - Moroni 9:1 CoC

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