Students and teachers heard a variety of viewpoints from a diverse range of speakers at the democratic conference on Oct. 13. Each speaker offered insight about the future of democracy, society and the upcoming presidential election.
Many of the speakers presented in 10 minute increments, giving the audience a power-packed afternoon of information. From bishops and Buddhists, to chairmen and chiefs, NIC got a healthy dose of perspective.
Most of the speakers asked for the audience to evaluate their involvement in society and democracy. Buddhist spokesman, Tezin Tsepal, quoted the Dalai Lama and called for each of us to approach humanity with more compassion. She said, (quoting the Dalai Lama)
“When I speak with people, I do so as if I am a member of their family. Although you and I are meeting for the first time, I accept you as a friend… If you and I find common ground as human beings, then we can communicate on a basic level. Love, compassion, and concern for others are the true source of happiness.”
She said that any of our differences are secondary identifications that alienate us from each other and that these identifications are what cause social and moral injustices. These alienating factors are what lead to violence and dehumanization.
She said, “From a Buddhist prospective, non-violence is not the absence of violence, rather it is something much more positive, and something much more meaningful for us as humans. The fuller expression of non-violence is actually compassion.”
A.J. Khonda, from the Kootenai County Democratic Party provided a message that was a call to action for everyone, especially millennials. His segment was politically based.
“I want to build things, and I want to help people. Politics has given me the opportunity to combine those.”
For Khonda, politics is the backbone of our society, and we cannot function without it. He used the metaphor of a child putting a blanket over his head, convinced the world cannot see him, saying that this is the approach many take to politics.
“Many people think that just because they are not involved in politics, that politics must not be involved in their life, and that could not be further from the truth,” he said.
He gave accounts of the effect social media has on our lives, and encouraged the audience to get more involved in politics.
This conference was delivered at a time when the elections are coming soon and many people are questioning where they stand politically.
The audience was offered many different perspectives and left with a new way of evaluating their political and social views of democracy.
