“You know something,” whispered Democracy, sitting at the Lincoln Memorial, and looking ruefully at Autocracy and Monarchy, “I feel small, insignificant and very inadequate at this moment in time!”
“Inadequate in handling the Covid-19 situation?” laughed Autocracy.
“No!” said Democracy, “I feel that during this whole world wide Coronavirus panic, when people should have been turning to me, they’ve been turning instead to you both!”
“And rightly so!” said Monarchy and Autocracy together, “People want to see strong leaders making firm decisions!”
“Even if those decisions are wrong?” asked Democracy, “What I Democracy believe is that collective thinking brings out sensible ideas!”
“More a chaos of opinions!” said Autocracy, winking at Monarchy who nodded and sniggered, “A cacophony of noise!”
“Maybe,” said Democracy, “it sounds like noise at the beginning, because everyone, being equal, feel no threat in expressing their thoughts to solve a crisis. But then out of that chaos and confusion, out of that disturbance and disruption, comes order, springs a brilliant idea, that saves the world!”
“But people can’t wait!” smirked Monarchy, “They want immediate action! So they look to us for immediate, emergency like decisions!”
“Knee jerk ones, more often than not, wrong!” said Democracy sadly.
Monarchy looked at Autocracy and both roared with laughter, “Unfortunately, people are most often moved by a decisive leader!” They both chuckled, “The fools, are happy with a swift decision, rather than yours which is too slow!”
“Quick ones are very often erroneous mistakes!” said Democracy, “Made by ones with no specific knowledge, but only acting on the power they wield!”
“Who remembers wrong decisions later?” snorted Autocracy, “and anyway we deal strongly with troublesome ones either through threats….”
“Or, putting them in prison for frivolous reasons!” laughed Monarchy.
“But,” shivered Democracy, “What beats me is how you managed to get to the people through me, making them feel they still have their Democracy, while it is you both who rule the world today!”
“And how well we rule!” smiled Autocracy, “when was the last time, police were allowed to beat people in a democracy? Bureaucrats not elected representatives making crucial decisions? Compassion, thrown out of the window, as migrants walked home?”
“When was the last time courts lost their voices? Media made to shut up? WhatsApp admins shivered?” asked Monarchy, “Long live the new Kings!”
“The new Dictators!” yelled Autocracy, even louder.
“When will this ever end?” whispered Democracy.
“As long as we can keep people living in fear, fear to step out, fear, to start their normal lives, fear that their brother, their neighbour is out to infect them, we will rule!” said Autocracy and Monarchy, almost together, “Reconcile yourself to the fact brother, that you, Democracy, are the first victim of Covid-19..!”

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