It reflected the diversity of a free people learning from one another. Today, it too often feels like a battle between competing realities, where listening has been replaced by shouting and truth by opinion.

But chaos is not just destruction. It’s also a signal — a sign that something deeper needs repair. When we can no longer talk to one another, it’s not because we’ve lost our values; it’s because we’ve lost our connection.

Because democracy doesn’t fall apart from too many voices — it falters when we stop listening.