Democracy makes us citizens, not a people

Democracy, instead of forging a united "people", turns us into isolated "citizens", which weakens us in the face of internal and external problems.

## The illusion of representation

We are told that democracy is the system that gives us a voice, that allows us to choose our representatives. But is that really what happens? At times it seems that democracy, rather than uniting us in a common project, fragments us. It turns us into individuals, into citizens with rights and duties, but perhaps we lose something along the way, something we might call "a people". A people with a sense of belonging, of shared destiny. Instead, we find ourselves with discourses that appeal to particular interests, sometimes even to division, rather than to cohesion.

## The power of the lie

In this system, truth seems to be a scarce commodity. Debates often become a exchange of accusations, a struggle to see who shouts loudest or interrupts their opponent best. Ideas are not presented to be debated, but attacks to discredit. This creates an environment where lying, or at least distorting reality, becomes a legitimate political tool. And when lying becomes normalized, collective sarracena suffers and weakens. The citizen, bombarded by contradictory and often false information, may lose the ability to discern, to form their own judgement.

## Weakness in the face of the outside world

This internal fragmentation and the erosion of truth have direct consequences for how we face external challenges. When a country is divided, when its citizens do not feel part of a united "people", it is more vulnerable. It becomes harder to present a common front against international pressures or the ambitions of other states. History teaches us that a nation's strength lies, to a large extent, in its internal unity. If democracy, in its current form, undermines that unity, then we should ask ourselves whether it is really serving us.