Democracy is a form of social order that is rooted in the acknowledged equality in value of all of the individual members of the society. For such an order to function it is necessary that the individuals be developed in consciousness enough to understand and accept their responsibility to themselves and to their peers. Therefore the first duty of the democratic society is to do everything to ensure that an environment is created that nurtures and protects the development of individuals who are aware of their own worth and of the worth of their community. The primary goal of this community of individuals is the expansion of consciousness in the exploration of reality and ever-deepening meaning.
The primary problem we have in our current society is how deeply fear-based and inauthentic (fantasy-oriented) it is. This fear promotes conflict and low levels of development in individuals. This leads to the pursuit of power and manipulation and exploitation rather than mutual support and respect. In such an environment democracy is not possible. Therefore, before we search for the 'political' trappings of democracy, we have to address the prevalent underlying realities that prevent democracy and contrast them clearly with the realities required for the creation of real democracy. Democracy is not a theoretical structure imposed on people; it is a social order that grows out of the real relationship between the individuals of the community.
Our common language has developed in accordance with the features of a non-democratic environment and promotes non-democratic ways of thinking and feeling. So as individuals we have the duty of becoming more conscious of how we as individuals automatically through conditioning violate on all levels the fundamental requirements for creating a democracy.
The first step is to realize that the ways individuals ordinarily relate to each other socially in this non-democratic environment and relate to themselves privately is anti-democratic. It does not promote individual development and mutual respect. And there is no structural solution to this problem already in place in this non-democratic society. The solution must begin with individuals who are conscious enough to perceive the radical non-democratic nature of the current society and resist this consistently on an individual basis before there will be any chance of genuine group efforts. Democracy begins in the consciousness of the individual who begins addressing other individuals in a democratic manner in all areas of the current society. This activity puts this individual at risk in many ways and there is no way around this. The individual must begin living as a democrat in a non-democratic society. A societal revolution is possible only through the lives of individuals who have already begun the revolution within themselves. The foundation of democracy is the quality of the relationship between the individuals in the society. Our problem is the scarcity of real individuals. Without genuine individuals there can be no democracy, only some form of hierarchical tyranny. So what can be done to create an extra-environment within the current environment that feeds individual development and encourages exploration rather than fear? This is what I will address in the next part of this article.