Andr B.

Flores, 2013-44268
Socio 10 THY

Reflection Paper: Relevance of Democracy in the Quest for Personal Autonomy

I have always believed that I have a certain power within me; a power to change, a power to
choose, and most importantly, a power to live freely, all according to the ideals and values I have
acquired throughout my lifetime. As I grew older, I started to open my eyes wider to the situation I am
in. I started to see a bigger picture, beyond the walls of indifference and doubt. I sought for freedom,
and there I realized that there is much to see and much to learn, especially regarding the power that
have always kept and guided me in this ever-changing, transformative, and postmodern society. Given
this actuality, I question this power. Do I deserve this? Do I realize my potential as a citizen of this nation
and not just as an individual? Am I able to grow fully as a person through this power? Am I able to use
this power in the present condition of the nation? I am aware that I am in the process of creating myself
in this society comprised of individuals who are all part of a bigger picture, who are all hoping for a
better future.
At one point in the history of our nation, we were deprived of the power that is very much
important to us citizens of this country; the power of democracy. I look back to the many struggles our
nation has faced to be able to form into what it is at present. These are the moments where individuals
realize their power and the extent it has when united with others. Many of our countrymen fought and
some even died in this battle because they knew it would be all worth it; that Ninoy Aquino said that
The Filipino is worth dying for. They all believed that the power lies with the people and only when
there is democracy that the power will be felt by every individual, and collectively will then become
imminent in the nation.
A person who is born into this world is given certain rights for him/her to experience and to be
able to realize his/her full potential as a person. These rights are taken for granted because they are not
upheld, thus, it doesnt stop there. Our quest continuous on and there we see the continuous struggle.
How can one be fully human in the plight of blindness and indifference in the society? We Filipinos are
never made apart from the nation since it is we who are subjected to the change and ways of those
people that lead us; those that are supposed to represent the people, because after all, democracy is
what unites the people who are collectively aspiring to be part of the nation. May it be in voting in the
election, or even to the ousting of an official from his/her position, it is in these moments that the
power of an individual is testified to be true. Individuals must realize that if each one of us put ourselves
in a bigger picture, a much better society is achieved.
The essence of democracy gives us, citizens of this country, a chance to redefine the future, and
this social reality enables us individuals to redefine our lives too. I see this system as a two-way process
that involves helping both the people and the country in its furtherance. As an individual, I am meant to
live a life of peace, order, and wilful happiness. It is when society interferes to hinder me from
experiencing such where democracy would lead me to change and transform the nation. My personal
autonomy would be powerless without having to apply it to the context of the nation. Together with
fellow citizens, we will not be able to redefine the institutions if we confine these troubles to ourselves.
Political institutions that govern the individuals set parameters/boundaries may be reformed, upholding
of human rights will be strengthened, and many other promises of democracy that seeks to help us in
our lives. What people must realize is that democracy opens us to an array of possibilities and choices
that the people could use to help achieve each ones personal autonomy. Man cannot achieve such if
impended threats are present. A democratic society is a society that values the autonomy among
individuals and is aware of the power it has vested among the people. It is through democracy that I am
given this power, as the author of my very own existence, I am to set a direction, to where I want to go,
what I want to change, and what I want to achieve in my lifetime, where all of which is possible through
the nations commitment to the people. It is the mandate of the country to seek to relieve the citizens
from suffering and oppression. Depriving the people from the right to suggest and be a radical of change
is an opposition to the right that each one of us is supposed to have. The nation is part of creation and
what it sets for us must always be for our betterment, and it is the people who know what is good for
the country.
Democracy is vital so that I may be able to flourish well as a person. Elements such as values of
freedom, high regard for human rights, and implementation of genuine election, are all possible in the
prevalence of democracy in our lives at present. Thus, they affect how we are able to carry out the
decisions we have decided to make and the changes we wish to have in our society. Personal autonomy
can barely be achieved with a limited view of the nation. We must be aware of what we need, for this
might also be what the people call for, and coming together as one is an exercise of the power of
democracy in our nation. It is not enough to look into personal troubles without relating them to the
structure of the society we are living. As citizens, we ultimately hope for a functioning democratic
society that would enable us to exercise the power to live, in harmony with the state, for I believe that
the quest for personal autonomy cannot be done by the individual alone. It is a collective process with
the nation, a collective struggle that every individual will go through, in the hope of a better future.