Someone asked me the other day why I vote. I cananswer that question in one word, “democracy.”
Democracy is quite possibly the greatest gift that a only select group of humans who have inhabited this planet have ever been bestowed.
Every country has fire. Every country has the wheel.Every country has the means to make tools and weapons, even if they’re onlyrudimentary. Not every country has democracy.
I don’t equate democracy to freedom because they aren’tone in the same. I live in a democratic country, but I don’t enjoy the samefreedoms as some of my fellow citizens. Conversely, some of my fellow citizenscertainly don’t share the same freedoms that I’ve been afforded (simply bybeing born male and white). But there is undeniably a hell of a lot of freedomthat comes with living within a country founded upon democracy.
I really try not to take that lightly. Even if myvote won’t “count” in the presidential election in terms of the Electoral College(an extension of living in the Republican-dominated state of Nebraska), my votedoes “count” on a state, county, district, and city level. More importantly, myvote matters immensely on a personal level. It’s a true, immeasurable gift. Agift so many others around the world would die (literally) to have. Being ableto cast a vote in a democratic society is a towering achievement that a wholelot of smart, brave, and tenacious people before me made possible, including bysacrificing their lives.
The old cliché applies, I vote because it’s theleast I can do. It’s the least I can do to show my respect and gratitude and payhonor and tribute to the system and those who created it and saw that it livedon throughout the generations. Voting is the least I can do to educate myselfon the present issues at hand. To know the positions of the candidates who haveshown a desire to represent my voice. To help forge the future of my community.To set a course of action for my children and theirs so that they enjoy thesame privilege.
I have tremendously mixed emotions about the processthat has come about in which I cast my vote, no doubt. It’s maddening toconsider the vast amounts of money spent during election seasons, money thatcould be used so much more wisely and beneficially. I feel a great sense ofembarrassment at the bi-partisanship that I periodically exhibit myself and alsoat those with opposing viewpoints who do the same. I’ll always be leftwondering when this political gamesmanship got to be so contentious andpretentious and self-serving and ultimately detrimental to the end result,which seems to be bettering the lives of all citizens, not just those belongingto the winning party. I’ll always be left wondering when the end goal changed,but I’ll vote nonetheless because ultimately, the true beauty of democracy isstill at work.
I'm grateful that I don’t have to bow to a dictator. ThatI’m not forced to live behind borders. That I don’t fear for my life dailybecause a military regime is threatening to overturn the ruling party.
I’m grateful that I live in a country wheredemocracy is at work in which I vote for the candidate that I feel can bestrepresent me. What a gift.
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