Axar.az presents an article “Democracy And Neighbors ” by John Samuel Tieman.

A friend asked, “With so many assaults on the democratic republic, why don't we just despair?” I thought about that for a second. But just a second. The answer is right before me – Mary, Tomiko, Susan, Chris, Shoshana, and so many others.

If the democratic republic is to survive, then for its survival one of the most powerful tools is normal civic engagement. ('Normal”, as opposed to the chaos coming out of our White House.) This current flavor of authoritarianism encourages and indeed thrives on anger, cynicism and negation. It benefits from feelings of isolation. It's immoral. Civic engagement is inseparable from moral goodness because what arises from such engagement is a platform for respectful dialogue.

I serve on the City Council of University City, Missouri. I work at the most intimate level of the democratic republic. Everyone, from folks on the City Council to the guy who runs the taco joint, we're neighbors. We share zip codes. We can walk to each other's home. When people think of elected officials, they often envision the high profile stuff, say a controversial vote on a multi-million dollar construction project. That is part of the job. A tiny part. The bulk of the job is constituent services. Someone's sidewalk is cracked, for example. It's intimate. As is my work as Council Liaison to various Commissions.

Why do I not despair? Let's think about those Commissions. What is the republic if it is not this? Sitting around the table is your elected representative, me, a civil servant from city hall, and neighbors who serve as commissioners. This is why I don't despair. Not because we are doing some grand task. But because we are doing the small tasks, doing them for our neighbors, doing them well, and doing them with love. Commissioners attend to stormwater, public art, to environmental concerns, parks, to the care of seniors, and much more. Why do I not despair? Because of Mary, Tomiko, Susan, Chris, Shoshana and so many others. Because they have hope for our town. Because they share their hope. Because, when a commission is called to order, the democratic republic is right here. It's easy to turn government into an abstract object to be ridiculed, insulted, belittled and scorned. Such objectification is impossible when the government is your neighbor, your buddy, Shoshana.

Since Pres. Trump's inauguration, the assaults on the democratic republic are manifold and profound. I won't pretend to have sweeping wisdom when it comes to either the reasons or the responses to this attack. But this much is clear. Donald Trump takes advantage of anger, social dislocation and isolation. Indeed, perhaps the easiest ploy of the authoritarian is to take advantage of such feelings. Democracy can undercut authoritarianism with hope, engagement and belonging.

One of the biggest mistakes folks make is to presume that voting is all there is to democratic engagement. As the delegates left the Constitutional Convention, a woman asked Benjamin Franklin, “Well, Doctor, what have we got – a republic or a monarchy?” He answered, "A republic, if you can keep it." Note that the keeping of the republic is not the burden of the representative alone. According to Dr. Franklin, “you” now belong to the republic, so it is up to “you” to “keep it.”

Do I think all this is the one great solution to Donald Trump and the onslaught of fascism? No. It's a small step, one among many. There are numerous ways to thwart Trump. But I do think civic engagement is one answer to cynicism, anger, social dislocation and isolation. Why? Because civic engagement begins in connectedness, hope and, in a word, love.