(#6160) Why I fight for democracy

      I know who and what I am. The who is really simple I just react without hesitation to circumstances and that is who I am. Mind you I have honed my responses over time to be civil and understandable. When I was young I was much more rough around the edges but basically the same as I am now just a bit more acceptably refined. The what I am was evolved. I, like all human beings didn't understand what this existence was until I spent some time in it and observed and questioned. I was like a fresh canvas with no mark on it. As time went by I realized that what was best in life was feeling happy and causing that happiness to spread around me.
     But like most all human beings I was sidetracked with selfishness and greed because I was young and impatient. I lost myself for a time and then had to find myself again. The one thing though is that I never changed I just got lost in my own too often discouraged mind. That was the bridge time of my life when I knew what I wanted out of life, then got confused, then got it back. I like being happy as a default characteristic. I feel good when I am happy and others around me find my cheerfulness even more than tolerable. This is how I live and for all of us to know what being happy is a lot more of the time, we need a political system that counts us as valuable.
     That is what democracy does, it counts us all as valuable. We get to share in the best of human rights while also having the ability to enjoy a panorama of opportunities. We are not saddled with tunnel vision drudgery when our democracy is vibrant. Instead we are filled with hope at a better future without fetters and binders. Nothing about democracy scares me. What does not only scare me but makes me angry is a loss of democracy. The values of equality, fairness, freedom, and justice to name some very important values make up what democracy defends. Our shared living experiences in our "all tents" society that we build together is the epitome of how happiness expands. You know when I am happy because I cannot hide the smile on my face. It is who and what I am.