In the recently held general elections in India I know of a community of eight religious of whom only three, that is 37.5%, exercised their right to vote. The overall voter turnout in India was 66.33%. This election was considered by many as being crucially important for democracy in India. And yet some of us chose not to fulfil our duty!
Participation in Politics – A Moral Obligation
Human beings are born into a small group called a family. To live, develop and attain their fulfilment they organize themselves into bigger groups. That these groups may function smoothly they make laws for themselves according to which they live and act. These laws also determine who will have authority and govern them. Politics, in the broad sense, is the activity or process through which people make, preserve and modify the general rules under which they live to attain their maximum fulfilment. Since no human being can live and develop alone, and all need a group at least with minimum laws and organization, Aristotle, the Greek philosopher says that human being “is a political animal.” Politics can also be described as “the art of government” or as “the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status.”
Since politics aims at the development, fulfilment and happiness of all human beings and the enhancement of the quality of their life, it exists for the common good. The common good refers to “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfilment more fully and more easily.” (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, n. 164). Pope Francis affirms that “Politics, though often denigrated, remains a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it seeks the common good” (Evangelii Gaudium, n. 205).
Jose Kuttianimattathil, sdb
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