A friend recently told me that she had not voted in 12 years. She said the political process was repulsive to her, and it made her feel lousy to be a part of it.
I certainly sympathize with this sentiment; as enlightened as our country is in some ways, the political rhetoric has seemed to devolve into dialogue more commonly witnessed in a second-grade classroom.
However, as odious as the process can seem at times, it has reliably been referred to as the best in the world—a disconcerting thought, I realize!
Given these realities, what is a citizen to do? Well, one path is that of my friend’s: pretend the outcomes don’t affect our lives, and eschew the entire process. The problem with this approach is that we have reached a critical point at which years of apathy have likely caused the very dysfunction in the system we find so distasteful. William Simon said, “Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don’t vote.” The void left from inaction will be filled.
As deficient as our system is, I am grateful to live in this country and have the opportunity to participate in that deficient system. I would go so far as to say that because we have the privilege of being an American citizen, it is incumbent upon us to participate in the governance of this country and attempt with our small, imperfect contribution to make it better.
I know it can be painful. I know it feels icky at times. But discomfort is not an excuse for lack of engagement. If that was the case, America would never have become a country. I thank God every day that nearly 250 years ago, a group of people who loved truth, justice, and freedom were willing to embrace the discomfort and engage. I pray this November we honor their sacrifice and do the same.
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