“Democracy does not produce, by itself, a decent way of living; rather, it is decent ways of living that make democracy possible”. That goes without saying. It is not our character that influences our behaviour. But it is our behaviour that lets others judge what kind of people we are. Democracy is quite an understandable notion. Even children realize what it is. But at the same time it seems to be unattainable. At least in Russia. We can’t but admit that there are certain democratic tendencies in our country. But can a country where people simply do not have an opportunity to choose and influence the government be called democratic? The presidential campaign has not started yet, but we all already know who will win it, don’t we? There are different political parties in our country. But even before the elections we may say it for sure that there will be one party that will win the State Duma elections no matter how people really vote. Formally we are a democratic country. But de facto we are not. And that’s not about the regime itself. That’s about decency. As our German teacher has said, “The thing that is important is not about how people vote. The way the votes are counted is much more important”. That is why I completely agree with the statement that democracy does not necessarily result in decency. But it is decent ways of living that make democracy possible.
