On Mindful Democracy: A Declaration of Interdependence to Mend a Fractured World (Parallax Press, 2026) is framed as a “warm hug for weary hearts” and intended for those who are exhausted by the current state of our political reality. These days, that could be just about anyone in any part of the world, but there is a way in which Americans are inculcated with a unique mythology around democracy, so this book feels particularly geared toward the American reader, especially at this juncture in history.
Dr. Jeremy David Engels, a professor of Communication Arts & Sciences at Pennsylvania State University, is our guide for this journey. He has studied and practiced in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village since 2018 and is a mindfulness and yoga teacher.
As Engels astutely notes in the book’s introduction, we have been tricked into thinking that democracy and the power struggle between political parties are the same thing. The author’s gift with this book is helping us to remember that democracy is not a battleground but rather a living process, a practice in which we engage together with our neighbors and communities.
Drawing on his background as a scholar of democracy and a teacher who has mentored university students to be engaged citizens and ethical leaders, Engels believes that democracy can only work with mindfulness. On many levels, this book succeeds in making that case.
Engels begins by offering a new Declaration of Interdependence—which happens to have exactly the same number of words as the original Declaration!—demonstrating how mindfulness can be woven into our practice of democracy.
Throughout the book, the author highlights the parallels between the gifts of mindfulness and the skills necessary to practice democracy. Some of these include:
• Having a fundamental understanding of our interdependence—what Thich Nhat Hanh calls interbeing
• Not seeing someone as an “enemy,” and
• The capacity for focused concentration.
The book is organized into three parts, each anchored by “Insights.” The first part, “Stand on a Strong Foundation,” introduces the reader to the basics of mindfulness, with an emphasis on interdependence as defined by Thich Nhat Hanh. In the second part, “Walk the Path of Interdependence,” Engels brings in the concept of Beloved Community and explores how mindfulness manifests in groups and can support the essential civic skills of democracy. The third part, “Practice Democracy with Hands and Heart,” provides the “how”—practices and concrete actions to build the kind of democracy and world we’d like to live in.
One of the most compelling Insights for me was #17: Enemyship Wrecks Democracy by Transforming it into War. This is an area to which Engels has given a lot of thought; his first book is even titled Enemyship (Michigan State University Press, 2010). As he notes, there is no evolutionary biological basis for humans to be at war with one another and holding a stance of “enemyship.” Rather, it “persists because it is politically useful for perpetuating the world’s biggest lie, especially for those at the top of the social hierarchy who want to protect their place there by keeping the people below them in their place, too.” (92) One of the defining aspects of enemyship is that it puts the emphasis on standing against something or someone, rather than standing for the well-being of our communities.
It makes sense that this Insight follows one on diversity. Any time we are in a group—on any point of the political spectrum—where members are not allowed to express dissent, we are witnessing the formation of enemyship. Mindfulness can be an aid for us to pause long enough to become aware of this dynamic and shift it, individually and collectively.
The last pages of the book include a helpful list of suggested actions such as starting local and learning about the challenges in your community, participating in symbolic public acts that can help raise collective awareness, speaking out with mindful words that unite rather than divide, practicing nonviolence in peaceful demonstrations, participating in democratic governance—e.g. vote, organize town halls, run for public office— and practicing mindful, nonviolent resistance when needed.
Engels writes in the tradition of Walt Whitman and Rebecca Solnit—two hope-keepers who remind us to stay in touch with what is wholesome and beautiful, and to never give in to the forces of despair and division. His vivid writing style draws the reader in:
Democracy is rooted in habits of love, compassion, and gratitude—not in hatred, rage, or resentment. Yet it has begun to feel like we live at high noon, under a blood red sky, just waiting for catastrophe to strike. Standing on the edge like this takes a real toll on the mind, the body, and the spirit. (p.2)
The book feels quite aspirational, highlighting the noblest qualities of both democracy and mindfulness:
In our Beloved Communities, we refute the world’s biggest lie that some people don’t belong and replace it with truth that we are all worthy of life and liberty. Together, with enough Beloved Communities—and we are talking about thousands and thousands, in all the world’s tongues—we practice democracy and gain enough power to mend a fractured world. (78)
While there is a nod to racism and other hierarchies, Engels doesn’t bring up much in the way of contradictory information, such as the fact that the majority of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were slave owners, or who has historically been left out of this democracy, or other threats to democracy such as the US Supreme Court’s 2010 decision on Citizens United.
Nor does he go into much depth on the shadow side of spiritual communities when it comes to democratic processes, and how we might work with them. Perhaps that would be another book.
But this is a small qualm. Overall, the book is full of ideas and practices that support us to explore both mindfulness and democracy in delightful and sometimes surprising ways, and Engels is an excellent writer. It’s a wonderful addition to engaged Buddhist titles, and I found reading it to be both comforting and inspiring.
See more
On Mindful Democracy (Parallax Press)
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