November

“The organized expression of collective interests is what gives shape and meaning to democracy, and requires trust, continuity, structure – and the willingness of people to join things”. Yuan Yang, 2024. Why We Should Join Things. In Democracy: Eleven Writers and Leaders on what it is – and why it matters. Image of tapestry «Democracy vessel» (83 x 80 cm). November 2025. Below, fresh flowers of agapanthus collected in July. Dry flowers. Multipurpose tools used during work. 

All photos by Monica Pinheiro CC BY-NC-SA (CC).

November

“We need to step outside the machine in order to comprehend how it is working and where it is failing us”. Step into Nature, “a generous teacher, if we can only manage to slow down and listen to what it is saying”. Nature is the system of systems, running with stunning complexity, based in feedback loops “allowing natural ecosystems to continue in equilibrium for eons” even if some “have failed to notice, let alone appreciate”, others haven't. 

“Democracy, too, is a delicate ecosystem – of checks and balances, rights and needs, power and accountability, It requires a healthy, functioning environment and a diverse community of interacting organisms”. It also requires feedback loops. “Our voices matter. Stories bring us together. Silences keep us apart” and erase democracy, in our country and in other's countries. Democracy is interconnected. Worldwide.

Elif Shafak, 2024. Terra Incognita. In Democracy: Eleven Writers and Leaders on what it is – and why it matters. 

Foto Monica Pinheiro CC BY-NC-SA (CC). October 30, 2025.

September

“Merely assuming that information and communication technology (ICT) would foster the spread of democracy was clearly a failed strategy. (…) The gradual erosion of democracy in our time is being accelerated by the growing, unaccountable power of technology companies (…) Undermining principles have practical consequences (…) Tech’s metastatic and unchecked growth has resulted in real-world violence, instability, and division.” Marietje Schaake (2024). The Tech Coup: How to save democracy from Silicon Valley. Photo by Monica Pinheiro CC BY-NC-SA (CC), September 5, 2025.