Carol Pierce and David Stamps: Tell us what democracy means to you

What does democracy mean to you? For many, it has come to mean a value system for the country we live in. How we live it individually makes a difference for how we live it collectively as a nation. We are the Laconia Human Relations Committee asking many questions about ourselves, the community, and the nation.

The purpose for our work over the last 20 years as a mayor’s committee is “… to cultivate a community-wide climate that does not tolerate prejudice of any kind which undermines the dignity of any person”. We view this as a primary value for living in a democracy.

In this spirit, we would like to encourage a community discussion for what democracy means for us in Laconia, the Lakes Region, and the U.S. We will start with four weekly columns in the Laconia Daily Sun on how we, as a group, view democracy and the responsibility we carry for our vision. We hope that others will share their visions of democratic life in the Laconia Daily Sun Letters to the Editor.

We want to hear the deep feelings for democracy held by our friends and neighbors; the many ways we think and act on our values in this nation. Democracy does seem to be surviving, but at times we wonder how well it is functioning.

We recognize that how we choose to live a democratic life is a personal choice based on how we grew up and what we have experienced. Our vision starts with the values of free speech undergirded by respect for the individual. We add to this the need to be inclusive of all who live among us and the importance for sustaining a sense of community.

Historically, we see a process of democratic values gradually becoming more and more inclusive in many ways. We view democracy as a process, never finished. It calls for conscious attention to upholding democratic values in each generation.

What does democracy mean to you? Was there a time in your life when you, or someone you know, suddenly said, “Thank goodness, I live in a democracy?”

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Carol Pierce and David Stamps are members of the Laconia Human Relations Committee