Democracy

I sit here in my comfortable lawn chair enjoying the sunshine and warmth of an early fall Sunday.  I ponder the divisions, the anger and the pain in our country that grow by the day.  
I have the good fortune to write and speak what I want-  something not available to the majority of humanity.  I have the good fortune to be able to sit, stand, or walk away from a speech or even the National Anthem.  I have the good fortune to be able to post a sign on my lawn or carry one to the steps of City Hall.  I have the good fortune to be able to write a letter of protest and have it published and read.
To whom do we owe a debt of gratitude for these remarkable blessings?  Yes, we owe a debt to a bunch of old men who sat around the City Tavern in Philadelphia many years ago.  As they argued and debated, and probably laughed and sang too, the crazy idea of Democracy gradually emerged.  
We also owe everything to those who serve. Kings, tyrants, fanatics, dictators and demagoges have all tried to smother and kill this Democratic experiment.  They are fought by all those who serve, so this garden of Democracy can prosper and grow.
While I sit in this comfortable chair, contemplating my personal and our collective good fortune, young men and women stand their post.  They keep watchful eyes wide as they parol alley and forest for unseen enemies.  They endure early rise, poor food, images of fallen and injured comrades and memories of family left behind.  All of this, so that I can write this little essay.
It appears that our understanding of Democracy is incomplete.  It most likely is much more than a noun.  It is in large part, a verb.  Democracy will survive rancor, assaults, uncivil attacks from within and without.  It will survive personalities and agendas.  It will survive our personal fears and concerns.  It will, as it has, be a messy path of evolution and change.  
Democracy will survive and thrive, stronger with the test.
Lee