“By far the most
dangerous foe we have to fight is apathy - indifference to whatever cause, not
from a lack of knowledge, but from carelessness, from absorption in other
pursuits, from a contempt bred of self satisfaction.”--William Osler
The
dog ate my homework. No. Really!
That’s
the classic excuse in the rationalization hall of fame. Excuses: reasons we
give for not doing something that we know we should have done. A promise. A
duty. A commitment. At work: we miss a meeting. At home: we blow
off a chore. In sports: we drop the
ball. In love: we forget a birthday. Being
human, afraid to fess up, we fudge the truth and offer an excuse.
Not
ever having a dog, I can’t use that excuse.
No problem. Excuses for not getting the job done abound. Technology
excuses: I never saw the email. My
computer crashed. My phone’s been acting
weird. Memory excuses: I forgot. Didn’t
write it down. Been busy. If all else
fails try misdirection. Gee you look nice today. And how ‘bout those
Patriots?! We can obfuscate all we want
but finally, maybe the best policy is to just tell the truth.
So…what’s
your excuse going to be for not voting vote in the election November 4th?
You
see chances are very good that a majority of Americans won’t bother to cast a
ballot next week and not just because it is a mid-term election. Americans like to imagine themselves as
worldwide leaders in democracy but the fact is we are mediocre in the civic
responsibility department. Also rans.
Compared to other democracies we kind of stink. No other way to put it. Less than 40 percent
of eligible U.S. voters will
vote the first Tuesday of November and that places us far behind many of the
world’s democratic peoples: Germany,
Japan, Belgium, Australia,
Canada,
etc. If democracy were a class America would
get a solid C-.
What’s
your excuse?
Cynicism
is popular. It’s chic to trash our
government. Complain that politicians are all the same. Money has corrupted the
process. One vote doesn’t make a difference. I’m staying home. Sorry—that’s lame. It’s a cover for civic
laziness. How about this? No vote. No voice. No right to whine about
our country. Democracy belongs to those
who show up and participate. Consider Hong Kong,
where thousand of protesters are putting their lives on the line to secure the
right to one person, one vote. Angry
about your government? Then vote.
“I’m
too busy!” many will say. Too busy to
register. Too busy to know the issues and candidates. Too busy to get to the
polls. Bologna. If we can plop down on our backsides to watch
“The Good Wife” or “The Walking Dead”, update Facebook, text endlessly, and
play Farmville online, we can find 30 minutes to vote. Too busy?
Nope.
The
one excuse which does not cut it in 2014 is that there is not much at stake in
the election. Try these issues. Control of the United States Senate. Casinos in Massachusetts. Sick leave for workers. You
want more? Global warming. Student debt. Health care. War and peace. Your kid’s future. Your future.
Elections matter. Elections
determine what we will do as a nation, a state, a region, and a town. To think
otherwise is foolhardy and shortsighted.
Your vote counts.
So
VOTE!
Because by not voting, not being an active and engaged
citizen, not caring about the freedoms secured by the sacrifice of others, an
apathetic citizenry gets the government it deserves. Absolutely. In the words
of the American philosopher Robert Maynard Hutchins, "The death of
democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow
extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment".
Still I still hope for something better, something more from
my fellow citizens. As Boston
patriot Samuel Adams declared in 1781, “Let each citizen remember at the moment
he is offering his vote he is…executing one of the most solemn trusts in human
society for which he is accountable to God and his country.”
To vote. To not vote.
What’s your excuse?
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