| Over the years I have heard a number of politicians’ attempts to convince the public to follow their civic duty - “to vote”. There were many reasons, none of which I care to remember. Their arguments never made any sense to me and, as a conscious and a decent person, I try not to make choices that lead to anything other then decency.
While browsing the Internet I came across an old comment, where a person was sharing the thoughts of why he or she did not vote for either of the presidential candidates in 2004 election, yet participated in voting on other issues. I was dismayed at the posted responses, where this attempt of consciousness was criticized by regular folks, who tried to justify that only through “the vote” we can change politics and this country.
If I wasn’t a conscious being, I could hardly argue with such reasoning. But - since I accept responsibility for my actions and, therefore, have to consider the consequences of my decisions - how does voting for a “lesser of two evils” help us build a better world? After the votes are placed and counted, we are still left with Evil. And I certainly don’t want to be a part of this process, where so many absolve themselves of the ‘mistakes’ their “chosen representatives” commit.
It’s not an accident that we live in a pseudo-democracy, where “our shepherds” herd us through the maze of choices charted by them - a journey, no decent being could be forced to make. Such existence gives a greater majority an excuse to avoid the decisions they pretend to wish for, and to blame others when things go wrong - luxury that decent do not have.
The most distasteful test of endurance for a conscious being is to find oneself living in an immoral society. Knowing quite well that evolution is deathly slow in coming and people are loath to change, yet any change that is forced on such a society, with the best intentions, would rob such people of their natural progress and lead only to disaster.
Democracy – is a responsibility of every individual to decide the course that the country takes, and having the government that follows; not the other way around. A decent person will never vote for evil, whatever the outcome may be, but willingly pay the price for the ignorance of ‘their leaders’
Updated: 07/09/07
Here is a sobering recently made statement by a politician, which underscores the ambiguity of an American Democracy and exposes our inability to see the reality around us: In response to a popular criticism of the surge of our troops in Iraq, a politician (let’s keep them nameless, since they are all the same) said, “We are not elected to do what’s popular [an essential component of a democracy], but to do what’s right.”
I was left speechless, after hearing this blatant admission of ignorance. However, even though it was broadcasted quite a number of times, no one had questioned and challenged it!
I could understand and agree with someone’s desire to contest the virtue of a popular opinion, but to say that, instead, America will do what is “right” (according to an opinion of a politician), - is quite remarkable.
It’s so ‘refreshing’ to live in a country where the “best democracy” is inhabited by, at best, the dazed population. While our shepherds shove us indiscriminately in whatever direction that they are able to chart, through some political machinations, we, the American people, state without a doubt in our minds that this democracy is “of the people, by the people, for the people!” |