Democracy on Trial was a debate format primarily discussing the idea of ​​whether or not government should be more involved in our lives. The first part discussed that yes, the government needs to be more involved in our lives, but our social and economic situation suffers because they are not involved enough. The other camp felt that some changes needed to be made, but that it shouldn't come from the government, which is already too involved in our lives. This debate is incredibly common in our country at this time. It’s like it’s a never-ending loop of constant chatter. The names, faces and wording may be different, but everything else is exactly the same. So no progress is made because everyone is very intransigent. The book Ancient Futures describes the unique society of Ladakhs. They are best known for being cut off from the rest of the world and creating a personal environment in which they are completely autonomous, at least until Westernization. Their view of politics is very different from ours. If we lived in a Ladakh society, such a debate would never have taken place. There are community leaders trying to make the most rational decision possible that will best benefit society. Selflessness is the only way to behave as a leader. The first speaker, Jared, explained that the government is not involved enough in our lives and needs to do more for people. One of his main arguments was that deregulation is becoming too common in government policies and that the environment and society are suffering. Without government control, we are unable to regulate corporate carbon emissions. There are dangerous problems...... middle of paper...... adakh, these problems would never happen. Comparing our society and the way Ladakh people lived is almost like you are comparing two different worlds or species. While Ladakhs never have these problems and that is good, it also shows the real flaw in their society. It's incredibly stagnant. They have accepted this as their way of life and nothing new will actually happen. The only aspects that will change are the names and faces. It's a closed world. While our country has developed in the opposite way with an obsession with our idea of ​​progress creating a glut of life changing changes without ever questioning if it would actually benefit our society. This comparison between a stagnant society and a dynamic society appears in every facet of our two very different worlds, even in our political ideals and problems..