Throughstone #26: Democracy is not a color.
Jul 09, 2026Democracy is not a color. It is not red, white, and blue or Caucasian or Asian or black or brown. In its purest form, it knows no pigments, only purpose—purposeful pursuit of equality that might beget equity. It requires equanimity in the face of enmity, exceptional humility in lieu of the arrogance of exceptionalism.
Democracy is more translucent than transparent—it demands that we squint and use our imaginations to recognize what we are seeing. It lets the light shine through without blinding us with our own idealism. It offers the shapes and the hues without telling us exactly what the realities of a democratic society should look like or precisely how its mechanisms should be defined or function.
Democracy is an invitation to color inside the lines, outside the lines, or even on a blank piece of paper. However, it is an open invitation to everyone, and not to a select few particularly to those who we power and privilege in unequal fashion.
We too often confuse democracy with legislation. Voices come first with democracy, and laws are the echoes of collective sentiment. Laws are as imperfect as our foresight but as necessary as our freedoms.
Ironically, perhaps, democracy is both the inspiration for our legal system and its greatest check. We live in the balance between the two when we are fortunate.
Democracy is not freedom unleashed but rather freedom considered, debated, codified, and constantly revisited. By all and for all, demanding wherewithal and the transparency of our intentions.
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“Throughstone 250” is a purposefully constrained blog project. As a long-winded Southerner constrained by Vermont’s limited porch season and the Yankee penchant for paragraphs of three words or less, I’ve opted to aim for semi-regular (i.e., consistent in their irregularity) reflections of precisely 250 words for the foreseeable future.
250 means something right now. Maybe more than we anticipated. It’s symbolic but incredibly important…and a 250 word count seems much less constrained than a 5-7-5 syllable count for a haiku.
Like many others, I’m struggling to make meaning out of these tumultuous days. I’ve always found it useful to try and write my way out of tough spots. Looking for throughstones is just one more effort to try and generate some meaning from the mayhem.
More free-ranging rambles here, if you’re so inclined: https://www.freerangeprof.com/blog
If you would like to take this and other conversations further, consider stepping out of the algorithm and the clutches and clatter of social media and join me here at “The Watering Hole.” It’s free, with no obligations except decency.
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