Do you believe in democracy? I am not sure whether I do anymore. But I do believe in a notion of it. As Winston Churchill remarked in 1947: “No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise.”[1] Now, facing yet another election on July 4th makes me reflect on the nature of our democracy and whether we/I can really make any difference.
So many of us have found ourselves in a place of dissatisfaction at the moment. Just like our ancestors in the middle of Parashat Behaalotcha in the book of Numbers.
“And the people were like grumblers” the beginning of chapter 11 tells us[2], people complained bitterly. What is interesting as Professor Richard Friedman points out IS that “this is just the first of many accounts of [our ancestors] complaining in [the book of] Numbers…it is the only one in which the reason for their dissatisfaction is not told.” So Professor Friedman concludes that “the story’s function, therefore, is not to point to any of the obstacles in the wilderness but rather to indicate the people’s state of mind: negative, volatile, unconfident.”
Rest assured two verses later an infamous meat rebellion took place. Rabbi Gunther Plaut points out that the meat craving wasn’t the actual reason for people’s rebellion. He suggested that “the underlying problems that had caused the rebellion still remained.“
“Satiety, boredom, lack of challenge and the inconveniences of a nomadic existence were seeds of discontent as potent as want and poverty…Long years of slavery had produced a generation that could not adjust its dreams of freedom to reality.”[3]
What a brilliant thought: adjusting dreams to reality. Did all our ancestors want to be free and leave Egypt? We don’t know but while they ended up on the journey, in order to make it a success, they had to face the consequences of their choice: good and bad.
Don’t they say: be careful what you wish for, in case it really could come true?
Now, we are facing yet another election in our country and we stand at the place where we need to decide to vote or not to vote, and if yes, then for whom.
Many of us feel disenchanted with politics and wonder if voting makes any sense at all. Whether it is conservatives or Labour, neither of the parties are addressing the real issues directly and instead choose to repeat the same old rehearsed rhetoric.
Many of us choose to make a difference in our daily life by becoming involved in various charitable initiatives in our communities and helping real people. But people who we vote or don’t vote for often make decisions on our behalf which affect our lives in the long-term. So if you find yourself as part of a multitude on a journey you didn’t want to be on, blame first of all yourself if you didn’t vote at all.
Of course, the question is then can my vote make a difference? Tactical voting is important but making yourself familiar with the programmes and parties manifestos before the election rather than just the rhetoric might help you to make a more informed decision.
We, as a community, take responsibility for our future in the UK and have invited our local candidates to a hustings meeting next Wednesday, June 26th.
There we will question them on issues that matter to us. For us it is not only a question of what party or candidate we would like to give our vote to but also to make sure that the candidate and party will align with our values. Accountability which will follow post-election is an important part of our Jewish ethos. We don’t want empty promises.
We often seem to me like a chained elephant in Jorge Bucay’s story[4]. The author loved going to the circus when he was little and was especially enthralled with the elephant. The elephant showed colossal power and strength but after each performance invariably was chained to a little wooden post in the ground. So small and light was the post that Jorge could never understand why the mighty and colossal elephant break free and run away to freedom. Until someone else many years later explained to him that the circus elephant does not run away because they are chained to a post since they are very very little. So when Jorge closed his eyes he imaged the chained baby elephant pulling and pushing in different directions, sweating at his attempts to break free and despite his efforts he couldn’t do it because back then that stick was too strong for him. Jorge pictured him falling asleep and then trying again the next day, and then a day after that and a day after that. Until the terrible day had come when the poor animal accepted his powerlessness and became resigned to his fate. So the huge powerful elephant we see in the circus does not run away because the poor thing thinks he can’t. The memory of the powerlessness he felt when he was a baby was still strong in his mind. And the worst thing is he never ever questioned that memory again, he never ever again tried to test his strength…”
So many of us are like that elephant, making our way into the world chained to 100s of sticks that curtail our freedom and our freedom to influence our future. Simply because many times we were not able to make the difference we wanted to.
But it does not mean that we never can. Now is the time for us to test our strength again. Come on Wednesday, submit your difficult questions and let’s make a difference together. Each of us will matter on the night and when casting our vote on the day.
As Rabbi Salanter reminds us: we only can change the world, when we start that change with ourselves.
We are on a journey yet again and this time let’s do everything we can to bring about the change we need.
[1] House of Commons, November 11th, 1947;
[2] אָנַן – complain, murmur
[3] The Torah, a Modern Commentary, general editor W. Gunther Plaut, p.968.
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO3bk7XRUGQ&t=13s
