Gordon Sumner, aka Sting, said to a live audience recently, “Democracy is under attack. It’s under attack in every country in the world. It’s in grave danger of being lost unless we defend it. The alternative to democracy is a nightmare, a prison of the mind. That alternative is tyranny. All tyranny is based on a lie. The greater the tyranny, the bigger the lie. Disagree with the tyrant and you risk imprisonment, torture and death. Yet that is what we must do, all of us. We must protect our right to speak the truth.”

Our current fifth principle affirms and promotes the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large; while our 7th notes respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. Unitarian Universalism is a LIVING TRADITION and as such, it means that we orient our lives towards our values, guided by our principles. Language and culture continue to change and evolve so what would a just democracy be? And how could it cultivate a national shift in our behaviors that we make decisions and take action based on how it would impact the most marginalized? For a democracy to work, the people need to participate, so lets make our voices count!