My ambitions escalate with each passing day, and now I wish to respond to Winston Churchill himself. I've previously explored this topic in the Neanderthal #018 Manifesto, but now I desire to view Sir Winston's proclamation – “democracy is the worst form of government – except for all the others that have been tried.” – from a novel perspective.

To our faltering system, democracy served as an oxygen boost, a means to accelerate progress and buy time to craft a superior, more relevant system. This is precisely the effect democracy had on Athens. Democracy injected a vibrant energy into the state, leading to remarkable results. For 2500 years, Western civilization has stood firmly on the foundation laid by the citizens of Athens - philosophers, mathematicians, dramatists, among others.

Regrettably, Athens failed to harness this potential to forge radically different systems. Most likely, this was due to the world's inadequate globalization at that time and the rather aggressive posture of neighboring states.

Let's examine the current state of affairs. In this article, I will not delve into whether 'liberalism' or 'democracy' was more crucial to achieving our remarkable acceleration. One thing is clear: the fusion of these two concepts has given all those countries that embraced this form of evolution a massive push towards progress. One could argue that the world's second-largest economy is neither 'liberal' nor 'democratic'. Similarly, it can be pointed out that many of the nuclear-armed nations aren't staunch defenders of democracy. However, Athens wasn't the preeminent economy of its era either. Despite possessing less territory, a smaller military, and fewer citizens than Persia, the impact Athens had on the development of the entire world, not only Western civilization, is entirely unparalleled.

We were shrewd enough to glean the best from the 2500-year-old wisdom, but what then?

Sadly, even today, we fail to utilize the breathing space offered by democracy to implement systemic changes. Like the Athenians, we remain engrossed in the astonishing results delivered by our oxygen infusion. Regrettably, even today, we remain oblivious to this effect's limitations and show little concern for advancing to the next level. We rest on our laurels, convinced this state can persist indefinitely, overlooking the reality that nothing endures forever under the moon.

Therefore, Sir Winston, you are mistaken. Democracy isn't the worst thing we've conceived, but rather one of the finest solutions in human history. We simply misinterpreted its purpose. Using a sprinter's tool in a marathon race can indeed have disastrous outcomes.

If we don't awaken promptly, if we don't effect immediate change, we risk the fate of those who failed to adapt. Like Philippides, who ran joyously from Marathon to Athens only to be consumed by his exertion, we too could be remembered merely as an echo of the past. We risk vanishing, #JustLikeNeanderthals.