Democracy and Dialogue

"Participatory democracy requires that people do more than vote‹they must actively engage in cooperative activities that will help the group achieve its goals. Individuals must become knowledgeable about relevant issues, consider others¹ opinions and ideas, and articulate their own views. Participating in democratic processes, such as discussing key societal problems, helps individuals feel a part of the final outcome or decision even if they disagree with it (Polletta, 2002)." I believe that within our society this is the biggest issue regarding the difference in wanting a change and making a change. Far too often people complain about the way the world is, or why this person shouldn't be in charge, or "If I had that job, I would..." there is always a lot of talk about what someone could do, rather than them starting to do it. Most people feel that voting is enough to make a change, and if their vote didn't win, then they did all they could do. Everyone is always too busy to help, but are so quick to talk about the issues concerning them. Even if we are not the people in charge of making decisions, we can still do something toward the progressing our beliefs and wants in the right direction. The issue isn't always that the higher power of decision making doesn't want to listen, the issue is lack of participation in convincing someone that this issue is important enough to listen.