Polls progress: Phase 5 ended. Phase 6 and 7 campaigns are at their peak. Informal, gossip, rumour opinions, opinion polls, and exit assessments are making rounds. Highly mixed projections. Democracy is all about people taking charge of their lives and destinies. Meeting their needs. Facilitating work to build a society for each one of us. This would mean: changing, and refining our governance, governing institutions, laws, regulations, and traditions-customs-culture deeply. Not superficially, not at the edges, margins. Inclusion. Loving ourselves. With dignity worth intact, and enhanced. Participatory, reciprocatory.
We know all of us are equal. Can we and our democracy prevent some from being more equal? If we love ourselves, all of us, we can. Thus, democracy is a portfolio of works of love. We summon all our souls to these works of love. Animating. Towards the needy; people in the margins, people excluded, with their particular set of needs. Each marginal community with its own set of needs. The benefits flow more outward. Practices change, systems redesigned. If love rules, if authentic love rules, there will be no over-policing; no imposing restrictions not just; no burdening; no discrimination; no neglect; no inaccessibility to health-education facilities; no wastage; no wrong investments et al. We stop perpetuating ongoing harm. We harness our potential. We see abundance all across all around. We prioritize community well-being. We see safety, protection, care, and service; justice; a proactive response to disasters, accidents, challenges, and crises. in time. We honour community voice, wisdom, and leadership. Can we critically reflect, and transition to more democracy, a democracy of love? Can we work for works of love?
We have 40% women graduates, only 20% in the workforce. Pays are 20% less for women. Only 20% of women are in leadership teams, boards, etc. Are we still discouraging professional work roles for women? And, encouraging them to be on family and household duties? Consciously, unconsciously. Cultural constraints, safety concerns, inflexible work hours. The need for achieving 50% or more is underscored by many. The good news is that the % is increasing. But slowly. Can we hasten it?
Dominating is part of our DNA. Through power, muscle, wealth, status, position, beauty, knowledge et al. These items, data/knowledge, make us arrogant. We become blind. We know what we know is little. What we do not know is infinite. Many a time what we know becomes a barrier in knowing, and learning. Our timeline is a dot. We are a dot in our world. No logic affords us to be arrogant. Can we overcome or handle our attitude, behavior, and DNA of dominance, arrogance? To be humble, open, and serve.
Data alone cannot engage people. Stories engage. Videos, pictures, and prints matter. Annual reports help. If well-designed. If human, life impacts included. With journey case studies, personal stories, visuals, infographics, and speaking data. Simple, clear. Financial and results – success-fail – transparency. The theory of change and the story of change go hand-in-hand. Can we have these? Personal, Project, Team, and Organizational. Can we write and share? Can we engage?
Can we engage ourselves to generate courses of action that change existing situations into preferred ones? Can we offer agency to each one of us for this? With competencies, willingness, discipline, concentration, patience, and practice. With space available. Greatness comes from character, thoughts, words, and deeds. Diligent pushing forward, for generations more. Beyond just the next 5 years, just winning event, contest, poll.
Happiness is contagious. It multiplies with interactions, sharing, connecting, caring, and giving. Happiness is collective. Just by coming, and being together, we become happy. Together, we laugh 5 times more. Can we?
Yes, we can. If we coexist, co-flow. With agency. In N? In sahayoga for 7L.
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