I have run into some odd ideas of what "education for democracy" might mean during my time here. That makes me think. It can't be just one movement, one example. Democracy is complex, and, most important, it contains tensions as an idea, and it generates tensions, whenever anyone tries to put it into practice.
I encountered one component last night. I went out to eat in a fine part of the city, near the Kirche am Hof, in an area with wide streets, stately buildings on a human scale, and grand public squares, connected by narrow alleys. By the entrance to one such alley, a young woman in a long gown sang through a repertoire of good contemporary songs - the best of the show tunes. She sang for about two hours and filled about four city blocks. I couldn't judge the quality, though she had to have had some serious training. What struck me was just: somebody wanting to sing and begin willing to take over the public space. Of course, anybody who complained or even harassed her could have shut her up. She had no goons to back her up, just the tradition of people singing in public plus this IS Vienna plus why not?
I thought: if school children - or adults - see this, they have maybe the most important piece of education for democracy. Beyond that, we have to learn to cooperate, to share, to play nice. But point one is: if you want to sing, you can try singing in public, and maybe nobody will stop you.
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