Good replies, Dave, and so many of us thinkers contemplate death well before we get there.

In death, nothing is achieved.

In death, no one listens.

In death, we are not in the flesh. Our push is not a push.

Can our work live on? Yes, easy.

But will it likely be different than when we were alive, right?

The very few people it happened to -- their work influencing the world after their deaths -- compares to a single raindrop versus all the oceans in the world, Dave.

Let's not get stuck into thinking our work will get done after we die.

--

Now that I broke this, let me see if I can build up a line for both of us to stand on.

You have a fantastic brain for political thinking, Dave. Your brain does not focus on the singular political issues, but on how to address one or many political issues from the larger perspective.

You think big picture -- hooray!

There are so few of you.

You personify so many people, Dave. They all like where you are coming from. But they are not supporting you, because they are looking for a leader, and you are not leading.

You are saying 'Do as I say'.

You are saying 'Lead as I say'.

Stop that.

Just lead instead.

You have shown me so many times that you are a leader, so lead. Stop talking how we should all be organized. You are a leader, and your heart is with all of us.

Who cares if you lead a community, a province, a nation, or the world. We have all acknowledged your soul. Now go and do it.

Lead. Be yourself with your love for community. Speak, make yourself known to be a leader of your very own kind.

Don't submit yourself purely to promoting reform of established power structures because that is not what worked out well. But also don't deny that power is always established in either a one-party dictatorship, a two-party duopoly, a four-or-six party nation, or even the much wilder version of an eighteen-party nation.

The truth is not found in rejecting petty words like ‘party’ — well intended of course. Rejecting power is not what you stand for, or against.

Politics is either the system of the one kind, the system of the two forces, the system of various forces, or the system of way-too-many forces. It’s unescapable. It is all about forces.

Don't work power into fairy-tale land. Power is never about bliss and unity. It is about the direction we collectively are going into.

Work it, Dave. You can make a difference. You can push the direction into the right and better direction.

If anything on Medium, you have shown yourself to be a leader. Don't limit yourself to do-or-don'ts. Make sure you stand for what you believe all folks truly want.

If you asked me, I would say that most people want the perfect balance between individual freedom and governmental best guidance. Making sure folks’ stability is secured both from negative external forces and from extremely conflicting internal forces. That would be the perfect guidance for a national government. But locally, the national government should not say where a traffic light must be installed, unless they come up with very good scientific evidence, right?

I know that, where you live, folks will be able to use your guidance rather clearly. But you have to focus on finding the specific desires and the larger guidance that will satisfy them all. Most local folks don’t even dally where we find such good overall political pleasure, you’ve said it many times. They want the leaders to lead.

You have an excellent political brain, Dave. And as far as I can tell, you can do a lot for your local community, particularly where your local community has to deal with the larger governmental reality. You have the brain power; they need you. Your discussions influence the ultimate decisions, for the better.

I wish you much luck. I believe that your community already did get and likely will get many more benefits out of your work.

My pleasure to have communicated with you over the years. I think we both learned from each other, quite a bit : - )