Systems are Made of People

We used to have confidence in the system. We knew the system was flawed, but there was a good chance anyone could get their dues. The educational and health systems provided public and private options according to everyone’s needs, possibilities or capacities. We actually had a socialist system, but for over 40 years, no one called it that. It was simply a democracy, which was finally working after centuries of civil wars and caudillismo. However, the system is made of people and people are imperfect and corruptible. The system was gradually corrupted and as inequalities became more prominent, the justifications to shake up the system grew exponentially. People grew tired of what they perceived as elitist politicians and wanted to try a populist approach. We jumped out of the frying pan right into the fire!

Source

What has happened in the last 25 years should be a study guide for others to avoid, and yet many want a bite, as if there were a right way to do, only no one has tried it yet. The system was tailored to suit authoritarian needs and in the name of justice and order, we got trampled by a system that, far from being trusted, it is feared. The acceptance of a monolithic ideology and the collapse of all branches of government under the authority of a charismatic leader who speaks “the language of the people” are the two main mistakes any people can make to get themselves locked in an authoritarian dungeon.

We can’t have confidence in the system, not in one made up of resentful, corrupt, inept and unscrupulous illiterates whose sole ambition is power even at the expense of whatever it is they want to rule over. We cannot trust anyone now; not our neighbors, not our colleagues, and certainly not our rulers. The system still manages to sell a marketable face. Community managers have done an amazing job putting makeup on an evil face. It smiles for the pictures and offers free juicy apples. The ones for the tourists are not poisoned, though.

Thanks for your reading

This was my entry to @mariannewest and @felt.buzz’s 5-Minute Daily Freewrite: Monday Prompt: confidence in the system. You can see the details here

Make sure you visit the Freewrite House!!!