I hold democracy sacred. It is our fifth Unitarian Universalist principle. But what is democracy, and how do we accomplish it? It is not static, but, as our principle says, it is a process. We use it in our congregation, and also in other voluntary organizations. We use it in our civil government. Thousands of years of experience indicates it is neither perfect nor easy, but we still don’t know of anything better. In this two-part series I will draw from my experience and reading to discuss the process of democracy, both in voluntary organizations (looking inward, on June 10) and in our government (looking outward, on June 17). I will emphasize the need for procedure and compromise, the emptiness of democracy without positive values and goals, and the occasional need for civil disobedience.