Ignorance is bliss – this adage is perhaps the epitome of the American system. We live in a society where we are content to be pushed around and because we are taught not to question, we don’t consider that perhaps we don’t have to accept everything at face value.

Think of everything that you believe is wrong with our society today. These things can be huge political issues or even something as small as people who believe minor rules of common courtesy don’t have to apply to them. Now while many people would consider it a governmental failure that the system doesn’t work properly, I would disagree. The true root of these failures is each individual in society.

Democracy is dying. If we follow the path we are currently taking, the American system of “representative democracy” will die within our lifetime.

The democratic system is one in which the individual is supposed to get a vote on the major issues that impact society. In the USA this is done primarily through a representative in Washington. These people are supposed to represent the people over whom they govern, but I ask you: is this really happening?

Our system is broken and it is not because of the failures of the people higher up, it is because we have allowed it to become this way. We allow the government to run over our constitutionally given rights, to take advantage of us and to do as they wish. We allow the power to go to the people who have no business representing the populace because they have no idea what it is like not to have been fed by a gilded spoon.

So yes, it is my belief that the democratic system will die out, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. The way things are headed, we will end up in a system in which we have a faux-vote that is truly a suggestion box for those who have all the power. Or we can make a change. Force the government to end the tyrannical system and begin to have a true democratic society.

American democracy will end one way or another but the question now becomes: will we look at our children and know that we allowed ourselves to be tread upon, or will we fight for a system in which we truly have a right to make a change by casting our vote.

The solution can be as simple as standing up for once and saying enough is enough. Let the world know that we do not live in a society in which we choose which rules apply to us. Stand up to the man those who take advantage of the system. For if we truly believe that something is wrong, why would we ever let it stand?

Create the change you want. Once again let the cry of “Don’t Tread on Me” to be the symbol of the American system.

Isaac Morley is a sophomore Business Administration and English Education double major. He has rights that shall not be tread upon. You can follow him on Twitter @Isaac_Morley – Letter, feedback, and guest columns can be sent to letters@collegian.com.