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He paused, searching the podium for how much to reveal. When he looked back, regret softened his expression—not performance, but the quiet sorrow of realizing his era’s stability was fragile.
He spoke of mistakes. Not as confession, but acknowledgment: leaders shape not only policy, but tone, what people deem acceptable. The country had been trained—decades of voices—to value winning over governing. He didn’t say, “We did this,” but the implication lingered.
He recalled moments of courage over cynicism, compromise for understanding, quiet patriotism showing up at school boards, polling stations, volunteer lines, in everyday conversations. Democracy isn’t something you “have”; it’s something you do, repeatedly, even when boring, frustrating, exhausting.
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