Democracy is more than a system of government; it is a way of life. We can assess the vitality of a democracy by how well it is serving the people's needs and hopes. But a democracy's health is best reflected in examples of how people practice it through their commitments to shared values and virtues. In this blog, we will present stories of democracy-in-practice.

What projects have people undertaken to uphold the common good and work for equality and justice for all? How are people reaching across divides and creating community? How is respect demonstrated by children in Sunday School or athletes on a team? If asked to define what their country means to them, what do people say?

We've been talking to people about the resources created for the Practicing Democracy Project to see what they have found helpful and how they have applied them. We'll use this blog to share examples of their experiences.

We will also continue to pay attention to teaching stories, speeches, overheard comments, TV shows, movies, news reports, and more to find expressions of democratic commitments and activities. We'll ask friends and spiritual teachers to contribute their own examples.

And we invite you to send in your own stories of how you practice democracy. Email us with what you'd like to share, and one of us on the Practicing Democracy Project team will get back to you if we choose your submission for a blog post. When you do, please put "Practicing Democracy Blog" in the subject line so that your email will stand out from others we receive.