Sir: “It is difficult to see how democracy, which is based on the principle of the will of the majority of citizens, establishes the validity of principles and moral values, without being supported by the convictions of the majority, and without entering or imposing a dogmatism that is essentially strange to democracy as a form of government” — Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict XVI. Indeed, democracy should only be a simple and new form of government of peoples and nations to ensure changes and alternation in power of rulers, without civil wars or bloodshed. Of course, the majority of citizens understood as unjust or immoral all behaviour that produces an obvious injury, such as theft with or without violence, neighbourhood noise and inconvenience, slanders, disgrace and insults of all kinds, paedophilia or minors’ sexual abuse, sale and drug trafficking, political corruption, etc. But other behaviours that do not carry a prejudice for others, even though they are very immoral, cause them indifference and can ignore them expressly or tacitly as irrelevant or insignificant for social coexistence. In my opinion the solution is in the democratic ethos of politicians that achieve power, who should be in the first place really be democrats and non-sectarian or totalitarian, not inclined to impose their political ideas and moral principles. Second, politicians should have the genuine conviction to serve the common good of all citizens, instead of serving only those who think like them. They should help people to balance the economic and social inequalities that occur routinely, understand them in their aspirations and seek to persuade them with real demonstrations, without trying to impose their doctrines or ideas through coercion and the enforceability of laws enacted by them. Thus, through this service, aid, understanding and voluntary conviction, obtained by noble and model politicians in the exercise of power, the majority of citizens would acquire some convictions and moral principles that they would always seek to defend and propagate, even when they do not feel individually affected. Is this a utopia? Perhaps it is, but I think it is a necessary utopia. All democratic citizens should fight and strive to produce it, because otherwise it is normal that corruption, immorality and social problems that accompany the parties that look only for their own benefit are imposed on us. Those problems increase, personal and social degeneration grows disproportionately and becomes unstoppable. Finally significant social upheavals result in the tragedy of civil war or even international war.
ROBERTO GRAO GRACIA
Zaragoza
Spain