5 questions for democracy champions

In the midst of a barrage of analysis and “sense-making” about the election outcome, perhaps it is the quality of our inquiry rather than the swift responses that can help us gain deeper insights towards bold solutions and new possibilities. As one of my mentors said to me: “What are the rich questions we can pose right now?”?

I offer five lines of inquiry as a starting point:

#1. How can we expand our lens to situate the U.S. election in a global context??

The U.S election result was a repudiation of the status quo political leadership, but it’s not the only country to face such a fate. What can we learn from the 2024 trend of incumbent backlash , unlike anything seen in the last 120 years?

#2. How can we simultaneously pursue an inclusive, pluralistic democracy with representative leadership while avoiding the trap of divisive identitarian politics??

How do we interrogate and learn from the past without inadvertently dismantling much needed progress, falling prey to the opponents of an equitable society?

#3. How can we remain vigilant against the two Fs: fear and fatigue?

How do we not succumb to the preferred psychological milieu for authoritarians to thrive and aggrandize their power?

#4. What does it look like to build our individual and collective capacity to practice curiosity and humility?

In the cacophony of information, all of us have perspectives but none of us knows everything. How can we celebrate being challenged as much as affirmed?

#5. How can we not only resist and endure but chart a better, stronger, and energizing future?

Resilience isn’t an option but a necessary condition for living in a diverse, beleaguered democracy. What/where/with whom can we commune to see possibilities and envision a hopeful, joyful cohesive country?