I might have simply settled down into an armchair literary life. I really don't know exactly why I didn't.
Democracy is a revelation, but it's complicated. There are elections to hold, politics to create, rights to assert, grievances to settle and institutions to build. To many, it's exhilarating. For others, it can be disappointing when it turns out that democracy doesn't immediately make life better.
I've always wanted to be my own person and stand by the things I believe in and I thought I might lose that independence if I ran for political office.