I have never voted before. I never even registered to vote. Many people say this means I have no right to complain about what goes on in our society, since I don’t participate in the decision-making process. I wholeheartedly disagree. Not voting IS a vote. It is a vote for non of the above.
But it goes beyond that. Democracy is a great IDEA. Unfortunately, thanks to the mindset of much of humanity, it really does not work for large populations. When our view of the world is fairly divided by two opposite extremes, large groups of humans will rarely effectively agree on ANYTHING. While a number like 51% is a MATHEMATICAL majority, in terms of social conscience, it is not a majority at all. Democracy can only truly be effective if 1. Everyone’s vote carries equal value, and 2. MOST people agree on the same fundamental ideals.
Our nation is not a democracy. It never has been. It uses democratic principles in the process of government, but it is not a democracy. It stops being a democracy as soon as we allow one person to make decisions for many (despite THEIR opinion). It stops being a democracy when the vaunted vote of the many can be overridden by the few. It stops being a democracy when the government lives by a separate set of rules then the governed. It stops being a democracy when money has more value than life.
True, voting has more impact on a local level. But even there the division of ideals can be very evident. Laws are only effective if they are enforced and obeyed; putting more laws on the book rarely does much of anything except bog down the legal system. And many laws are not about justice and protection, but about profit for specific groups. On top of all that, thanks to the media being all about revenue and propaganda and NOT about the sharing of accurate information … even those who do their homework will often find it difficult to know the truth of the issues presented.
THAT is why I don’t vote. Because I don’t believe my vote is anything other than a statement of opinion.
Having said this, I just finished filling out my voter registration card. I am going to vote this year. “Why?” Some might wonder. Here is why:
Donald Trump is dangerous.
It’s as simple as that. The problem is not the man himself, but what he represents. He essentially is nothing more than a narcissistic blowhard; nothing more than a three-year old child craving attention. Anyone can shout loudly. People such as that only become dangerous when others pay attention to them. They become dangerous when others actively SUPPORT them. A dictator is nothing more than a person with strong ideas without others willingly doing as they dictate. Donald Trump is dangerous because the hatred and intolerance he preaches HAS SUPPORTERS. Quite a few of them in fact.
This is why I am choosing to vote. I still think the system is flawed; that my vote is really basically just an opinion. But this is an opinion that MUST be shared. Hillary was not my first choice. But not for the reasons most people think. I think she would be a quite effective president. The hatred and nonsense claiming she is unfit is nothing more than thinly masked misogyny. I just thought she might maintain the status quo, when I believe the focus SHOULD be on fixing the whole system. But to think that Donald Trump is in ANY way a superior candidate than she is speaks more about who YOU are than who they are.
No government has power unless the people give it to them. We tend to forget that, or fear the consequences of standing against the powers that be, but if the many hold strong against the few … they can be the victor in any conflict. As long as intolerance still exists in this world … I will not sit idle. As long as one group of people thinks they are somehow superior to others based on something as flimsy as the color of their skin or the ancient documents they read … I will not sit idle. As long as people think that owning the most toys is more important than compassion … I will not sit idle.
This is not about America. I believe nationalism has lived beyond its usefulness. It is time we start thinking about the Global Community (this is why I started my PAX Nation project). Donald Trump will not make this country “great” again. What he , and those who follow him, will do is set the very concept of democracy back 200 years. He will turn our nation into a caricature of what it was intended to be, and in the process destabilize the entire world. This is ultimately about the future of humanity … even the very planet. It is time we shifted away from selfishness and greed; away from fear and separatism. It is time we relearned the art of cooperation and the power of compassion.
This is why I am voting this year. I WILL NOT SIT IDLE.
It is time to replace divisiveness with compassion! Show your support!
Have you registered to vote yet?
If a staunch NON voter says he is going to vote … maybe YOU should think about it too. Complacency is the ally of oppression. If you agree with ANY of what I said, it is time to VOTE. There is still time. REGISTER TODAY!!
It is time to replace THOUGHT with ACTION!” DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!