What if the statues move when you’re not looking? If you’re a bit of a nerd like me, you might know about the British sci-fi drama, Doctor Who. Among the recurring villains, there are the ‘weeping angels’ a race of aliens who look like angelic stone statues. But when you aren’t watching the angel, when your awareness is elsewhere, that’s when they’re able to move. When you aren’t looking, they’ll come right up to you and kill you dead.

It’s a strange bad guy… a thing that can only move when you aren’t paying attention to it. But the episodes that involve the weeping angels are terrifying. And I think we can examine civic life concept using this notion.

Think about democracy. It surrounds us every day, makes our world what it is…and it can’t ever, ever be left unobserved. In order for us to live in a country that is by the people and for the people, we… can’t… blink.

The Fourth Estate does some of the looking for us. But it can’t only be the media professionals who keep their eyes on our angels. Organizations that hold to standards of journalism that keep propaganda and rhetoric out of their coverage are becoming increasingly rare. It’s harder to fund, and harder to find journalism that isn’t bankrolled by a self-interested billionaire who doesn’t belief everyone is worthy of dignity and fulfillment.

The angels must be watched. Always. And I know—it’s hard to keep an eye on them when we are exhausted. We just glance away, then look back to find that one of them is right there in front of us, with his sword raised and his once-peaceful expression twisted with rage. His weapon is poised to strike, and only by taking on this challenge together can we prevent it.

If you go back to Doctor Who, the characters taking on the angels often teamed up to take angel-watching shifts. But then they also found a way to contain the danger.

So, we must do more than simply continue paying attention even when it’s hard to watch what’s happening. One solution harks back to ancient Greek mythology. Set a mirror in front of an angel, and it’ll watch itself, so to speak. After all, self-awareness can freeze you right in your tracks.

I think it’s important to add that the weeping angels on Doctor Who aren’t evil in the sense of delighting in cruelty. They’re simply ravenous. They feed on the power of those around them. Likewise, living within a structured government does not have to mean believing that it is out to do harm. But power in this paradigm gravitational, and it will pull and consolidate as a matter of course. It is we, the people, who have to direct the flow of power, and many of us have entirely forgotten that it’s on us to do so.

So, first: we have to watch. We have to keep our eyes peeled and work in shifts. Second, we have to reflect back to our angels by being vocal and engaged. Third, we must remember that power will never stop pooling together. It’s us who have to keep it flowing.

Now, go vote!