Democracy and the sacred work of making room

Democracy, as I see it, is measured by how well it acknowledges and supports those who may not share the majority's beliefs or lifestyle. This observation begins at home, in my mother's kitchen, where my youngest status forced me to wait patiently while others were served. She never promised me anything, but showed me that she noticed me, and that should be the duty of a leader.

Leadership, according to Kahlil Gibran, requires looking beyond the honored and the loud, and asking who is still waiting to be seen. We must remember that children come through us, but do not belong to us. Just as my mother tended to the smallest person in the room, a leader must hold a plural society together without erasing its differences.

The Bhagavad Gita teaches us about lokasangraha, or action that sustains the world and holds it together. A leader's duty is to maintain this balance, ensuring that the needs of the many outweigh the desires of the few. When the vulnerable call out, it is our duty to respond, regardless of personal inconvenience.

Religion and science are not mutually exclusive, as my grandmother taught me. Faith can coexist with inquiry, and both can help us move forward. My nana's commitment to staying informed, even at an age when many would have retired, reminds us that curiosity has no expiration date.

Democracy demands that we remain vigilant and informed. We must question power and demand answers, as exemplified by the poets and thinkers who have shaped our civilization over centuries. These individuals remind us that the sacred is not something to possess, but a way of meeting one another and understanding our shared humanity.