As a sport aficionado, I am thrilled whenever I see athletes doing what they know how to do best. One of my favourite track and field events is the long-distance race or better still “the marathon.” I love the sport not just because I am a marathon buff but because there are lots of lessons to learn from it.
The marathon race to me is a tripod which includes tactfulness, stamina and resilience, all of which are needed for astonishing feats. When I look at the world’s top marathoners, over 90 per cent of them always come from Kenya and Ethiopia. In my quest for knowledge, I stumbled on some reasons they excel in marathon races and these salient points are noteworthy.
Kenyans and Ethiopians have three distinct features which separate them from others as regards the long-distance race. The first is that they start to train very early in life (at about three years old) which helps them develop tact. They also train in a high-altitude rift valley which is about 6,000 feet above sea level where they develop stamina and resilience over and over again. Finally, these countries recommend a diet high in carbohydrates, low in fat and sufficient protein intake for their athletes.
While this discourse isn’t about sport or food, some lessons could be drawn from this. One of those lessons is that democracy never grows by itself. Its actors (the government and the governed) are the ones responsible for its growth. Democracy needs to be energised and engaged with at all levels. This means that the people need to be aware and conscious that the power of the government rests with the governed (the people). Little wonder, the famous author, Helen Keller, quipped, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”
I believe the lethargic and docile nature of the populace is actually responsible for the rot and decay we see in governance. People no longer ask questions, followers aren’t concerned with the nuances of government. We tend to be more reactive than proactive.
Moreover, caution should be applied as democracy is not a licence to be rebellious and recalcitrant but rather to be engaging and diplomatic. There is something called “due process and rule of law” which should be strictly adhered to at all times. One fundamental thing to know is that the only way in or out of government is through the ballot and nothing more.
It was Edmund Burke who said the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. I will say, when you say nothing, do nothing, then you become nothing. We must learn to do something to promote our democracy: that is only when we can be called partners and stakeholders in democracy.
While I watch many African countries retrogress from democracy to autocracy, authoritarianism and totalitarianism via coup d’état and subjugation, it saddens my heart because democracy has never been the problem, the actors are. As the popular cliché says Rome was not built in a day, democracy cannot be built in a day or a moment because even the best democratic nations still encounter challenges. Democracy is a work in progress, though it has its ups and downs, it is still the best option.
Democracy is a steep learning curve; you never get tired of learning. You fall, rise, fall and rise again. Only then you will know how to rise better and stronger. Democracy is not a spectator sport, it is a participatory event. If we don’t participate in it, it ceases to be a democracy so says Michael Moore.
