Aryaa Vyas has won the 2022 Paul Bangiola Good Citizen Award, a $250 prize granted annually by the Morris Plains Democratic Committee for an essay by a Borough School 8th grader extolling some aspect of good citizenship.
This year’s question: What does freedom in a democracy mean to you?
Here is Vyas’ essay.
What Does Freedom in a Democracy Mean to You?
By Aryaa Vyas
Freedom. Liberty. Choice. These words are strongly associated with the United States. They are the foundation on which our founding fathers developed the nation. But what do they truly mean?
To me, freedom in a democracy means a variety of things, from being able to make a difference in the government and how it governs, to having equality for all, regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender, or any other characteristic.
It means having those unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It also means that the government is held accountable for its actions, that no one is above the law, and that no one person or group of people can have ultimate power over the people.
One example of freedom in a democracy is being able to facilitate an idea if it has enough support. One should be able to think, “I can change this, and no one can hinder me.” Bills can be proposed to change or add government regulations or organizations’ actions, or anything in between. People can generate enough support for or against a policy, and achieve their goal through peaceful protest or by voting for candidates who hold a particular belief.
Our senators and representatives work for the people, and so they must do what they can to uphold the interests of their citizens. People have a choice to have a say in their government and how they are being governed. They can speak their opinions on the government and make their voice heard, because, like President Kennedy said, “Without debate, without criticism, no administration and no country can succeed–and no republic can survive…”
The freedom of having a say in the government holds a special place in my heart, as it was something my mother was never able to experience. She grew up in the East African country of Kenya, a democracy only by name.
It only ever had one political party until very recently, and people feared speaking out against those in power. When they did speak, they faced dire consequences. My mother’s neighbor was one person who did such. He made his views on the president and the Kenyan government public. When he gained support from others, he was murdered at his home.
Elections also were very aggressive–riots and protests broke out. Cars were burnt so people could not vote for the opposing parties. Roadblocks were put in place. For those reasons, many families, including my mother’s, did not ever vote. This means that the government is not held responsible for its actions, essentially gaining ultimate power once it’s sworn into office.
The regulations officials create are not always in the interests of the citizens, but instead, for themselves, their cronies, and sycophants.
Having freedom in a democracy also means having equality for all, and having
no persecution of specific groups of people. Our Declaration of Independence states that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Yet throughout the course of American history, we know this never always held true. For instance, in the early 1900s, segregation and the Jim Crow Laws were developed. Or during World War II, thousands of Japanese Americans were incarcerated in internment camps.
And for the majority of our young country’s life, women were not allowed to do the same things as men, like voting, owning property, or getting specific jobs. Even now, there is still an imbalance between women and men’s rights.
Though the Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence were written by men who owned slaves, hypocritical to what those documents proclaim, these laws of the land make it possible for those facing injustice to fight to improve their lives and create justness in society.
As we progress, we aim to slowly lessen the discrimination in the United States and achieve the vision of our founding fathers.
Furthermore, freedom in a democracy means that no one is above the law. Those in office, whether federal, state, or local, have the same rights and limitations as a common citizen. Just as a citizen can be tried in court, so can a member of the government.
For instance, in 1972, President Nixon was compelled by the Supreme Court to provide recordings of conversations, and he faced impeachment by Congress due to his role in the Watergate scandal.
Countless senators and representatives under nearly every presidency have also been brought before courts for a variety of charges, from tax evasion to bribery. Most recently in 2019 and 2021, President Trump faced impeachment twice for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, and incitement of the Jan. 6 insurrection, respectively.
I believe that freedom in a democracy involves exercising the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution, providing input to the government, and being treated fairly, regardless of someone’s characteristics or personality.
It means being able to be yourself, saying what you want, voicing your concerns or anything else, which makes the United States as close to a pure democracy as possible.
Other countries, like Canada and the United Kingdom, allow free speech. But there are restrictions, like not being allowed to speak hatefully against a person or group of people, which the United States allows. The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is one representation of the above.
Trevor Noah, a South African comedian, said at the 2022 dinner, “In America, you have the right to seek the truth and speak the truth even if it makes people in power uncomfortable, even if it makes your viewers or your readers uncomfortable…I stood here tonight and I made fun of the president of the United States, and I’m going to be fine.”
Aryaa Vyas, 14, lives in Morristown with her parents and older brother. She has also lived in England and New Mexico. Aryaa loves to travel, swim, run and read. She also loves animals, especially whales and dolphins. She enjoys walking around Morristown and visiting the Morristown & Morris Township Library, and volunteers at The Seeing Eye Inc., an organization that trains puppies to become guide dogs for the visually impaired. Aryaa is a rising freshman at Morristown High School, where she has joined the Marching Colonials as a flute player.
