There may remain great inequalities linked to wealth, gender or culture, however, a democratic system at least holds out the promise that people can collectively come together to reduce or perhaps even eliminate some or all of those inequalities. Citizens took part in regular mass meetings that made decisions about the affairs of the city. Those holding public office only did so for a short period. Sometimes these jobs were taken in turn, at others they were filled by lot or election. Representative democracy' has become a familiar form.
Citizens elect politicians and officers to 'represent' their interests and views.
As states have grown in scope and scale - so matters have to be managed across great distances. It is one thing for 6000 people to come together in a mass meeting, quite another for 60 million. When we talk of democracy here, we are not only concerned with a way of choosing governments. We look to it as a quality that runs through the whole of life, to the relationships between us. This entails moving beyond a focus on individuals.