Politics
is all about power. We normally think about politics in relation to governments,
but the word can be used when a question of authority or power comes up for any
group. Politics is about how an individual or group attains and maintains power.
A government
is the body that has the authority to make and enforce the rules that govern a
city, state or nation. Over two thousand years ago, the philosopher Plato classified
governments as: a monarchy, where one individual rules; an oligarchy, where one
group rules; and a democracy, where all the people rule. In modern times, governments
are much more complicated and many forms of government have a mix of these three
basic types.
Today
many talk about left-wing and right-wing political views. Although the definitions
may vary greatly at different times in history and in different countries, generally
what is meant is that the right is often associated with social equity -- moral
and social conservatism and religion, while the left is often linked with social
equality -- redistribution of wealth and resources to all citizens and secularism.
Those
who have power in a society can make decisions that affect all who live in that
society. For this reason, politics plays an important role in helping to create
a better world. It is important to help to elect leaders who will make decisions
that are in the best interest of all their citizens, while taking into account
what is best for the well-being of the planet as well. It's also important to
continue to remind leaders in power about our shared priority to create a better
world based on more peaceful, just and sustainable communities.
