Market Value of Democracy

I am currently doing some work on a short contract. I have spent most of the last 15 years working for myself, so it has been interesting returning to the workforce to observe the reality for many people. I find it interesting to see my market value and how I am viewed according to my role. I see many faces out at lunch time or after work, they wear the masks that are impersonal and appear to be isolated and unable to see the many people around them. I feel I am seeing it fresh and I find myself constantly smiling, as the joy within myself is so strong. I see the disempowerment at work, one is a function and never asked an opinion or rarely complimented unless it is a task well done. As a clown I see the lack of love in the workplace. I am here for the ride and am pleased I followed my dreams. Democracy opens up when we do. When we see with equality then we are living the democracy we so prize. It is not about voting once every 3 years. I see value in every face. I have forgotten the workplace but I remember my humanity and the light within is always shining no matter the journey I am on. I feel so happy and grateful.

MARKET VALUE OF DEMOCRACY

My life has a market value,
My social life is a social contract,
With hidden clauses and conditions,
For being seen to be is more important then
to be and then see,
The truth.

Democracy is a Greek word meaning
Rule by the people,
The citizens were given the right to participate,
Yet not all were deemed equal,
Are not rights equal and inalienable?
Or is equality a floating market
watered down?
Indeed governed by the tides
of a power elite,
For over time the tidal flat gathers deposits
for a sand bank that is not grameen,
As uneven barriers prevent equal access,
To the ocean of possibilities.

The value of all life cannot be costed
on a stock exchange,
For life pre-dates the Merchant of Venice,
For all that glitters is not gold,
As alchemy is freedom and mercy,
Yet greed and revenge are the tools of trade,
Playing in a losing battle,
For the playing field was never on the level,
A strategic play that has lost the plot,
For a stage play can never re-enact real life.

The fools jest in the court,
The kings live in their castles,
The allies court favour,
For influence and persuasion,
Are the masks at a masquerade party,
That projects the comedy of tragedy,
As loyal subjects know not what they do.

Democracy has real value but no market,
For it yields unity not divided-ends,
For inclusion does not exclude,
To make a decision requires a desire to decide not a degree of expertise,
For each member of the society has responsibility for life,
They each have the ability to respond,
And it is in a truthful response,
That the questions will be found,
To broaden the horizon of possible futures,
That more than survive.

The sky of an open mind,
Reveals an unlimited frame of reference,
For anything is possible when it is possible to be anything,
And that is the master peace that cannot be framed,
For true mastery expands the debate,
Enlargens the big picture,
Listens to all suggestions without interests,
For each has a value of expression,
Each a footprint an impression,
That shapes the landscape,
For each grain is in fact ‘the beach’.

The ecological footprint requires all hands on deck,
For the rainbow warrior,
Is not a sinking ship,
Nor is it a floating flotilla,
It explores the ocean currents with sensors,
For to live sustainably is possible,
When we have the ability to respond,
For democracy is not only a dialogue,
It is a partnership of diversity,
That challenges ideas but not people,
That collaborates to broaden visions,
Playing roles that role play,
As the mirror is not seen to be,
But to be and see one self,
in the whole picture.

The philosophy of democracy,
Empowers the people to rule,
For the world is their sphere of convergence,
Each part is affected by the whole,
For the whole is made up of each part,
And to make a difference is the silent clarion call of every person,
And when the call goes unanswered,
Apathy becomes the answer to no response,
As hope falls from grace,
The world accepts turmoil as fate,
As diminishing returns leave fallow
the soils of great discontent.

Yet this can change in a moment of truth,
When self interest realises best interest,
Life is valued over making a living,
As candles of virtue light horizons of hope,
The whole world becomes enlightened,
For each voice is a democracy that participates,
As the sum of the parts is greater than the whole,
For shared humanity lives for the meaning
Not the role,
Now that is a new play worth being in,
For to be or not to be is the real question.