©Leslie Plaza Johnson Photo composite
Imagine a world where power isn't earned but assumed, where the rule of law bends to influence rather than principle. Not by grand design, but by a slow, quiet drift--an erosion allowed by inattention, exhaustion, or the belief that it has always been this way.
When corruption governs, it does not arrive with banners unfurled. It seeps in, shaping the choices of those who hold the purse strings, write the laws, or enforce them. And if left unchecked, it becomes the reigning force in daily life, deciding who thrives and who merely survives.
But what if this is not inevitable? What if the weight of history, the complexities of economics, and the intricacies of governance were common knowledge, not the domain of a few? What if education--true civic fluency--became the expectation, not the exception? A nation informed is a nation equipped, not just to resist corruption but to cultivate something better.
Misinformation thrives in the absence of knowledge, shaping misguided actions and deepening divides. When disagreement is seen as a personal attack rather than a natural part of discourse, conversations become battlegrounds instead of pathways to understanding. Differing opinions are not the problem--weaponizing them is. A society that values thoughtful discussion over reactionary rhetoric is harder to manipulate and less likely to turn against itself.
Change does not require a single grand gesture but a steady commitment to understanding and engagement. Learn how policies are made and who benefits. Support and demand better civic education in schools. Question narratives that serve only to divide. Participate in local elections, where influence often starts. Talk about these things, not just in moments of crisis but as a habit.
No reign lasts forever--especially when the people remember they were never meant to be mere spectators, but participants--legitimate actors in this ongoing experiment of democracy.