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Democracy requires tolerance

Putting up with something or someone you don’t like or agree with is the very least we can ask.

Should we give up on democracy? A good chunk of Americans say yes, we should. We’ve become so divided that a majority of voters on both sides of the aisle believe electing officials from the opposing party in 2024 would create lasting harm in the United States.

But what’s a better option?

British writer H.G. Wells, a committed socialist, suggested handing “over the decisive control of things to a body of prominent citizens — whose return would be very largely due to prominence and public confidence won by other than political activities.” This sounds a lot like the technocratic world we’re living in now.

We prefer the Swiss model of direct democracy, where the country is governed under a federal system at three levels: Confederation, cantons, and communes. Citizens vote often and have a direct voice in decisions at all levels.

This demands active civic engagement, political awareness, vigilance against corruption, and — most of all — tolerance rather than contempt for our fellow man.

READ MORE: What’s better than democracy?