Siri Speaks Out

*Steps into the room through the ceiling and casually walks a set of invisible stairs to settle behind the podium*

Today folks, I am going to address a form of government that some think is the rule in the United States: Democracy. Just what is this elusive type of government, and is it really possible for it to work given the failings of human beings? Furthermore, is the government in the United States truly a democracy, or even a form of it? Or has the United States truly divided itself into something more resembling an aristocracy?

Let us look at the defining characteristics of a democracy first. In a democracy the citizens each have a voice in the government of the nation. This means that each and every citizen has the right to input their thoughts into process of developing the laws of the nation. This voice can be achieved in one of two ways: either the citizens all vote on each law that is passed, and the majority vote wins OR the citizens get to elect the people who make these laws, and through the vote of these individuals termed representatives, the laws are passed that govern the nation. The former of these ways, pure democracy, is only practical for small populations where the laws rarely need changing in order for the government to run smoothly. The latter of these way, or representative democracy, is more practical for larger populations, and can respond to the needs of government to change the laws frequently to keep the nation running smoothly.

To further understand what a representative democracy is, you need to examine the processes that should underlie such a system. Ideally, each citizen of the nation is allowed to have a voice in choosing the representatives who make and enforce the laws of said nation. This means there is a necessity for a system of elections to be set up in order for these leaders to be chosen.  These elections ideally would allow all citizens regardless of class, age, or race to cast a ballet, choosing the representation they prefer. But is the ideal really practical? In short, no, not at all. Humans in their childhood are rarely capable of making decisions based on sound reasoning processes. Nor are Humans in their childhood truly capable of understanding all of the issues that can arise in governing a nation. This means that these citizens can acceptably be excluded from choosing the representatives that lead the nation into the future. Now can anyone else acceptably be excluded, no. Not those who are criminals, not those who are poor, not the educated, not the under educated. No one who is of the age to be considered an adult can be denied the vote and the nation truly elect a government that represents its people.

So what other principles are hidden under the surface of this form of government? Each citizen should have the ability to place themselves into consideration for the chance to represent the populace in the nation's government. The same qualifiers apply to this ideal as to the previous one. This means that yes, you can acceptably prevent children from consideration for office, but no one else can acceptably be excluded. This means that even those who cannot afford to keep clothes on their own backs must still be allowed to declare their candidacy for office, even if they cannot seem to muster the support from those around them. The amount of money in your pocket has nothing to do with your eligibility for office, nor does your age, your occupation, your familial status, your criminal record, or your level of education. The only thing that is valid for disqualifying you to declare your candidacy is your status as an alien  or your age.

All of this adds up to make a nation a legitimate representative democracy. So is the United States a democracy in either of these two ways? No. It is not a valid democracy in either of these ways. Originally citizenship was denied to women, those of color, and those who did not own land. This meant that many of the people who had been born and raised in the nation were considered aliens. This is unacceptable as these classes of people were not considered citizens simply because of things beyond their control. They were barred from holding government offices and from voting for these simple reasons. Currently, the penal system allows for certain citizens to have their right to vote denied to them, this is also unacceptable in a democracy. Are there other violations of the principles of democracy in the United States? Yes, there are some rather blatant violations taking place today, chief among them the need to have money in order to legitimately run for office. If you do not have the money to pay the filing fee, or the money to advertise, your candidacy will either be denied, or go unnoticed. Either way this is an unacceptable state of affairs that prevents those genuinely interested in representing the public from legitimately making the attempt. Another is the age limits that are arbitrarily higher than the age that is considered adult by the law. Yes, I do understand that young adults do have much to learn about life and about running a nation, but these people cannot legitimately be excluded from the process, either as leaders or as voters. Money is the main deciding factor in elections, either those candidates who have the most of it manage to saturate the media, and so win by being the most recognizable of the names on the ballot, or those candidates who have the most support from corporations end up winning by  virtue of that fact. This demonstrates that the nation is still divided into classes, and of the classes only the elite have a legitimate voice when it comes to the government. Those with the money have the voice, leaving those without huge sums of money to sit and have no true representation, no true voice. This is much closer to an aristocracy than a democracy. What say you?

*Disappears in a puff of flame and a wisp of smoke and leaves the room filled with silence.*

*The Daemon SiriusStiles Dreamhunter walks into the room from behind the audience and slowly mounts the step to his position behind the pulpit.*

Today my friends, colleagues, enemies, and those who do not fit into a category, we are going to look at an issue that is deeply intertwined in the lives of all that live on the face of the planet we call Earth. The subject is Compassion. This is one that many of you will think a Daemon cannot possibly comprehend, much less speak on without having to spit and sputter, but this Daemon assures you that he can and will make it through the trials and tribulations inflicted by any discussion of the subject matter. All this takes is the Courage to tackle the topic, and the Wisdom to understand that the ultimate impact on society is well worth it. Now on to the subject matter, at hand: Compassion. What is this beast? How does Compassion impact Society? How does it relate to the application of Strength? How does it bring about Humane Interaction between peoples? Why is Compassion vital to society? Let us contemplate each of these questions as a group for a minute before we move on and discuss them each in turn... *Takes out a cigarette, lights it and stands silently before his audience, smoking it slowly.*

*Extinguishes the butt, and clears his throat in preparation for resuming the speech.*

Before we can examine anything deep enough to carry away an accurate assessment of it, we must understand the nature of the beast. This applies to Compassion, emotions, actions, things, people, infinity, in short to all things you may wish at some point to understand. Therefore, let us define Compassion. This definition must be one that can be easily understood, and one that fits into the grand scheme of what I wish to communicate to you. So, what is the definition I have chosen for Compassion? To put it into words: Compassion is the ability to interact with other beings on their level. It is the ability to show understanding to those you know, and to those you do not know. Compassion is the ability to listen, to teach and to Nurture. It is the quality in a being that enables them to be kind, firm, gentle, or strong as the needs of others require. It is the quality that enables us to interact as a society instead of living in utter chaos. Finally, Compassion is the ability to empower those around you to overcome their obstacles, even if it requires showing them that you are weak.

Having defined my views on Compassion, we can now look into things a bit more closely. For instance, how does Compassion impact Society? Well, without some amount of compassion, Society itself would not exist. How can this be True? Think about it for a minute, really ponder the subject, and you will understand that statement. For the benefit of those who refuse to think, or who cannot really wrap their minds around the subject, I will attempt to impart my views on the matter in a clear fashion. If each person in Society were to be completely free of Compassion, then no one would have anyone with whom to communicate in their times of need. Suicide rates would sky rocket, because no one would care to reach out to those in need of emotional support. No one would care for the elderly or the young, meaning few would survive infancy. If Society were free of Compassion, there would be constant bickering between the peoples of the world because none would care to understand any others. There would be chaos, and an eventual self-extermination of Society. Utter chaos would reign supreme. Having stated this, I have also answered the question of why Compassion is vital to Society.

Moving to the next question, we see that there is an apparent relationship between Compassion and the application of Strength. What is this relationship? Does Compassion somehow spur the application of Strength, does it dampen it? Or, does Compassion simply temper the application of Strength? Well, I want to ask each of you to ponder this for a minute, form your impressions before I continue Some of you, no doubt, have come to a decision about how you feel on the subject, and some of you have probably drawn a blank on it. Those of you who came up blank on it have no need to fret, I am going to present you with my views on the matter here, and you can accept or reject it as you choose. Just what is the relationship between Strength and Compassion? Simply put, those who are Compassionate are among the greatest possessors of Strength. How can this be? Think on the matter, and maybe you can see what I mean. For those of you who cannot, the answer for this is a simple one as well. The Compassionate individual has a greater influence on the overall Strength of Society, touches more lives, that the individual who has no Compassion. He spurs the growth of Strength in those who are weaker, although it may result in the exposure of his own weaknesses. He applies his Strength where it is needed in the amount it is needed and no more. The Compassionate individual is therefore also a possessor of great Wisdom and Courage. These traits taken together tend to thrust the individual into the forefront of the groups in which he holds membership. The Compassionate individual is a true Leader.

The final piece of the Compassion puzzle that I will address today is influence of Compassion on Humane Interaction between individuals. Just exactly how does Compassion bring this about? Think about that for a minute, solidify your answer that you may have arrived at in the beginning of this discussion. Now, how do I feel about the matter? Well, Compassion is the seed from which Humane Interaction grows. It is the entire basis of Humane Interaction. Without Compassion, individuals would do as they chose, without considering the impact their actions may have on others. The only concern would be that the individual gain what he or she desired, despite the cost to broader Society. This state is unacceptable to the purposes of any group of individuals, and ultimately results in dysfunction. In short, Compassion is a necessary component in any Society, and must be preserved for the survival of any group including groups of Daemons, Vampyres, Werebeasts, Damphyres, humans, and any other groups that I may have missed. Without Compassion interaction on a positive level is absolutely impossible, resulting in an overall weakening and eventual disintegration of the group...

*With his final words, the Daemon SiriusStiles Dreamhunter leaps toward the ceiling, spreads his wings, hurls a fireball at the floor, and disappears.*

 

 

*The Daemon SiriusStiles Dreamhunter enters the room, and assumes his position behind the pulpit.*

Today, my friends, I come to discuss three separate subjects that seem to be ill-defined in the general population of the world. These subjects are ones that in general, should not be discussed by Daemons, especially the faint of heart. Being that as it may, I am going to demonstrate one of these traits in action by undertaking the discussion anyway. So, what exactly are these three things? What does it mean to have Strength? What, pray tell, is Courage? And where do you find this elusive creature known as Wisdom? Let us, as a group, sit to ponder these questions for a moment...

Now to begin explaining the views this Daemon has come to have on these subjects. The first of these to examine more closely, is naturally the first of the three mentioned and it is there that I have chosen to begin. Strength, what is this beast? What is the nature of it? And how do you determine if someone possesses it by looking at them? First to define strength: Strength in a physical sense is the ability to move an object, quantified by the amount of weight one can move. Strength of character is defined by the ability to maintain one's moral standards when faced with outside forces aimed at changing them. Strength of will is persistence. Each of these types of strength has one thing in common, they are each measured in respect to how the person possessing them measures up to others. The next question then needs to be addressed.

Just what is the nature of Strength? Is it a beast that cannot be tamed? Is it intended to be abused and lorded over others? The answers for these questions are all tied together, and the first should be answered without first looking at the other two . Strength is NOT a beast that cannot be tamed. What then is the tool with which Strength can be tamed? That tool, my friends, is the tool known as compassion. Using compassion in the application of strength has the effect of bringing about the goal of giving others Strength. It improves the world around where the compassionate Strength has touched. Is there one here who will argue against this fact?  Strength also is NOT intended to be abused and lorded over others. This simply shows a lack of compassion, an element of delight in the suffering of others. This cannot be allowed to stand, and eventually leads to the degradation of the Strength, as others will eventually take aim at the one misapplying Strength in this fashion. There will be an uprising, a rebellion of sorts, that leads to much strife and wasted effort on the part of all involved. So the true nature of Strength is to be found in the tamed beast, the one tempered with compassion, and leading to the improvement of the world.

Now to look at the ability to determine if someone has Strength by simply looking at them, and their actions. This is really a simple process. You simply look at if their actions enhance those around them, or attempt to bring them lower. Those that attack those who show a "weakness" do not possess Strength, simply the ability to bully. The possessors of Strength show themselves to be strong by building those around them up, conducting themselves with confidence, and by being compassionate. They are approachable, not reprehensible specimens of humanity. Having addressed the main points that need addressing I will now move to the next of these subjects.

How is Courage to be defined? What does it look like? How does it manifest? These questions all arise to me when I ponder Courage. I now ask you all to take some time, a minute or so, and ponder the answers you would give to these three questions. Did they seem to be linked to each other?  It should, since they are really answered in the same fashion in my book. True Courage is manifest in the scared child who walks up to the stage, and sings in front of the entire student body. Courage shows itself in those willing to protest a government that holds all the cards. Courage is manifest in the unarmed man who takes out the armed robber. Courage is manifest in the man who runs back into a burning house to rescue a beloved pet or a treasured photograph. Courage is the ability, the willingness, persistence, and strength to act in the face of overwhelming fear, or despite incredible odds. Courage is the ability to overcome.

Now the final subject, Wisdom. What is this elusive creature? Where do you obtain Wisdom? How does its application change those applying it? How does it influence those witnessing the application? I could spend all day answering these questions, but I know for a fact that I would lose many readers in the process, so I am going to keep this deliberately short. Wisdom is the application of knowledge gained through experience. It is the ability to decide on a course of action in a split second, and to act on that decision. It can only be obtained through direct firsthand exposure to life, and cannot be easily given. There is no easy way in which to come about Wisdom, it does not simply fall out of the sky and land in your lap. The application of Wisdom by necessity alters those applying and witnessing the application of it. It gives both sides more experience, more knowledge of life and the situations that arise in life. It allows both sides to gain more Wisdom for future application. Wisdom without application is simply knowledge, not Wisdom.

*The Daemon SiriusStiles Dreamhunter now slowly turns to the left, takes three steps and disappears in a puff of fire and smoke, returning whence he came...*