Please Vote

I've given up on voting. But I still vote.

I used to believe that there was a "right" way to vote. That if you studied the issues and candidates and considered the consequences you could make the right decision and make the best choice.

Now I'm not so sure. Seemingly good choices can have unintended consequences and bad choices can have good outcomes. Parties and candidates who espouse ideals you believe in can act against those principles you were voting for.

So I've given up on voting. But I still vote.

It's because I'm human. Being human is being given choices and making the best selection you can. You've got to try. Good teams sometimes lose games and bad teams sometimes win, but both teams suited up and tried. They played the game. I respect someone who suits up, even if they lose. I have much more respect for a guy who loses his job and gets another, then loses that job and gets another, over and over, than I do for a guy who gives up and stays home on the couch. You may not win, but you've gotta play the game. You gotta try.

Voting is transcendent. It's being a part of the collective consciousness that makes humanity great. The thing that has lifted humans above the animal is language, that allows us to work together, and to pass on knowledge to succeeding generations. It's our communication networks, that allow humans scattered across the land to learn about each other, and to contribute to the greater whole.

Your vote matters. In a close race, it can decide the outcome. In other races your voice still contributes to the strength of the message that says, "This is how we feel!" So your vote matters to the public. But more than that, it matters to you. Voting means you've participated. You have some skin in the game. You're a part of the human hive. If you don't vote, you can't complain. But if you do vote, you can tell your kids and your friends that at least you tried.

I've given up on voting. But I still vote.

Now, I'm not going to tell you which way to vote. When I don't see a clear choice, I figure there are two main ways to choose: If you like the way things are going, you can vote for the incumbents. If you think someone else would do better, you can vote for change. It's up to you to decide.

If you don't vote, you're letting others vote for you. I think that everyone who reads this blog is better than average. If you vote, you'll make a better choice than the average voter. If you don't vote, then you're leaving the choice to an average voter, and I'd rather it be you, someone who's better than average.

I've given up on voting. But I still vote.

Please vote.


Blog Tag: Opinion