Over the past several months, the world has witnessed tumultuous change in both Kenya and Bangladesh, where those in power were forced to resign or flee. The events hearken back to the drive for change that ended in disaster in Egypt and Syria. Here, both are undergoing a revolution of rising expectations.
That idea was first ascribed to Alexis de Tocqueville, who many Americans know for his study Democracy in America, but whose 1856 work The Old Regime and the French Revolution noted that “it is not always from bad to worse” that revolution occurs but when the “weight [of oppressive laws] is lightened.”
Recently Robert Kaplan, a widely respected political commentator, wrote about events in Kenya and Bangladesh, now rapidly developing into societies with a middle class. He notes that rising expectations of any society will give rise to periodic revolutions. The path to democracy is not always peaceful or stable, as it has not been here in America.
Prayer for the Day
Forces beyond our understanding swirl about us, O Lord,
And we wonder, whether it was always like this;
Ascribing such forces to gods, demons, or to your anger, O God,
Our ancestors had such easy explanations, but not us.
Broaden our vision and expand our understanding,
So we may better respond to the world around us.
In the name of the One who opens our eyes and unstops our ears,
Even Christ Jesus Our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
The US’s happy circumstances – a stable mass democracy on a resource-rich continent, protected by oceans – has led its citizens to believe in what he called the “unity of goodness”, a collective assumption that national development flows in concert, to the benefit of all. But that is not the case for much of the rest of the world.
Robert D. Kaplan, “The Tragedy of Progress in the Developing World”
The evil, which was suffered patiently as inevitable, seems unendurable as soon as the idea of escaping from it is conceived.
Alexis de Tocqueville, The Old Regime and the French Revolution (1805-1859)
Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers,
For they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security,
Take delight in the Lord, and God will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37: 1-4