Another Side to Voting

With Iowa behind and New Hampshire (and all of this year) ahead, I still haven't quite decided if I'm relieved not to be innundated with all the politics. We definitely feel out of the loop--we know what happens, but not in any real depth unless we spend considerable amounts of time trolling the internet, which is my least favorite way of getting news. The international news does provide a quick overview but nothing in depth. I get tired of the the long buildup, of primaries and soundbites so heavily impacting on the final outcomes, of conservatives and liberals telling me that I'm not a "good" Christian or a "good" American if I don't vote a certain way. I get tired of people campaigning on an image or in response to polls instead of just being honest and talking to their constituents. I get tired of candidates saying they won't run negative campaigns while they run those very campaigns. I get tired of the state of fear that many political leaders seem to want to keep us in, that we are going to be attacked or annihiliated at any moment and seem so much less concerned with some of the other problems that our country is facing.

Then Kenya had its presidential elections. In the wake of what is clearly a botched election, 300 people were killed (including an incident where a church filled with people was set on fire) and some 250,000 people have been displaced as a result of the rioting and looting. This, in a country that is often held up as a symbol of progress in East Africa.

Then Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in Pakistan. The first women leader of a Middle Eastern country died attempting to bring some form of democracy to what many call the most dangerous country in the world.

What can any of us do about these kinds of things that happen in countries all around the world? How is it that we have been able to live within a government system that works so well that a large percentage of us can't even be bothered to get out and vote? Our friends were in Nairobi over Christmas and saw lines of people that waited 8 or 9 hours to cast their vote. That's how important, how powerful, the idea of democracy is. That's how badly people hunger for a voice. How long would any of us be willing to wait in November to cast our vote?

Lord knows our own system has its considerable flaws. Yet it's the system most of the world seems to look to when they talk about democracy. How then, is it possible to be complacent? I can't change things in Pakistan or Kenya or any of the other places that experience such terrible hardships in areas we take for granted. What I can do is stop taking things for granted. I can take advantage of and appreciate and use wisely those things that I have been given. Like the ability to access information and news to make an informed decision. Like the freedom to express my opinion and vote in safety. I'm committed now to taking more time to learn about the people that claim to represent my interests. To think about those issues that are important to me and understand what the candidates have said and done in those areas to look beyond the clever soundbites and platitudes. It's the only way I can think of to respect the freedoms that I've been given and respect the efforts of those that want the same.