Social media has become the platform for bots and real netizens alike to abuse with utter impunity, ideas and concepts otherwise held sacred by our society.
One such idea is democracy, both attacked and used in the most irresponsible and nonsensical ways. One of them as an excuse for its own abuse, another for the most flippant misuse of other equally lofty ideals. Some of us, especially in social media, hold the notion that the practice of democracy is equal to the freedom of spreading lies and disinformation, the wanton abuse and horrific distortion of facts and history, without any consequence. That is the opposite, if not the destroyer, of democracy.
Freedom has now become synonymous to irresponsible behavior and an exemption from any accountability. We flaunt both real and made up afluence and bounty amid poverty and suffering, and call that freedom.
Or being real, or human, to mean the same as at best, insensitive, and worse, as pedestrian and callous. To be one with the masses, as if the masses are only capable of dumb pettiness and crass. Or to spread lies, promote chaos and confusion, and attack those who don’t belong to our tribe and claim that as our opinion. To encourage murder and mass killings then call that justice.
It is time to disabuse ourselves of these concepts carelessly used, twisted to set us against one another, and particularly targeted to degrade humanity. Those who care enough for the next generations and for any future for human life cannot allow themselves to get acustomed to these daily assault on our sensibilities and common sense (a key element to our very survival). Those who believe in human dignity and adhere to basic human decency must defend the real meaning and spirit, to keep the essence of, democracy, freedom, and truth alive.
It is not a matter of mere definition of these words that their defense is essential to our survival. It is about living with dignity and ensuring that the fundamental essence of humanity is not lost on us. That we use freedom, democracy, and truth not in their adulterated forms as tools for, but rather in their meaningful sense as our weapons against, poverty, suffering, injustice, and oppression.
