It is voting day in the US. The opportunities provided by democracy is often taken for granted by citizens -- I myself have woken many times on voting days, thinking that I "can't be bothered" going to vote. I couldn't be bothered fighting the pamphleteers. My apathy was overwhelming. My disillusion with the choices on offer, profound and unsettling. I just wondered how much the fine would be (voting is compulsory in Australia).
Yet for those without the luxuries and protections provided by democracy, voting is seen as a far off, utopian dream. It is something to aspire to. It heralds not apathy, but action. Potential. To all my American readers who are thinking of not voting, please reconsider. Your right to vote was hard won. Your choices affect many lives -- within and outside of the borders of your nation. It is a choice that contains mighty power. Regardless of who you vote for or which party you follow, please vote. It's in all our interests.
Now, if only we were possessed of speech makers with a vision here in this country. Seems I am not alone in this lament ;)
