On Democracy: Modern Democratic Societies Lacking Maturity

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The fact that a country has elections does not mean that it has reached the apex of maturity. Peace and stability does not automatically follow. The consternation that has followed some recent elections has been as great as what preceeded them. In the established democracies, politics as usual can be just as disconcerting. For a previous post on this subject, click here.

Baha'u'llah's judgement that humanity cannot be considered mature as long as people seek power and domination is as applicable to representative democracy as it is to absolutist government. According to Baha'u'llah's standard, as long as the politicians of democratic countries thirst for power, face, and wealth, and act to further their self-interest and the interests of their party rather than serving the interests of humanity--morally speaking they are no different from autocratic rulers who demonstrated the same lack of the virtues of leadership. Modern democratic societies, far from being embodiments of mature humanity, remain dominated by the logic of consumerism, obsession with power, aggressive competition, and divisive partisanship.

Nader Saiedi, Logos and Civilization: Spirit, History, and Order in the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 356.