Vote early, vote often

[banzai]

My ballot arrived today, which means it's now possible for me to cast my vote (on everything-the presidential race is unlikely to be either as affected by or as affecting to me as the other races and issues; we just seem to be having a nationwide, media-fueled cultural seizure over it) and consider my civic duty done. This seems much easier than

Comments

[banzai]

Whatever side of the proverbial fence people happen to be on (we're likely very similar), I usually don't doubt most of our motivations-we tend to focus on what we really believe to be important. While think it's possible and sometimes certain that our opinions can be wrong (a blasphemous position in postmodern Western culture), what's behind them can be very good and even constitute some common ground at times.

What gets hard for me is that we're now so connected to one another, yet we still use our "outside voices" in the dialogue (such as it is). I want to tell my fellow citizens, "I can hear you. So can almost everyone else. I don't want to stifle anyone's freedom of expression, but we really don't need to keep shouting and repeating the same things. Just because we don't agree doesn't mean we don't hear each other."

That desire to be heard is sometimes overpowering, especially when it doesn't take into account our super-connected society. We need to stop hammering on each other and flooding the channels with opinion and information if we're going to be good neighbors. Basically, we could all do better at exercising both respect and good editing.

[its_nin]

this comment deserves its own post.

i love it.

[donerleg]

hangs head

[banzai]

No head hanging allowed! I think you and I completely agree that, while some of the political debate would make perfect sense with all things being equal, all things are far from equal, and it'd be irresponsible to pretend otherwise. I didn't mean my mini-soapbox (I have so many!) to feel directed your way at all.

The short version of said mini-soapbox: I get why people don't think there's a difference between the two (or why they may think that difference goes in the opposite direction). I disagree with them, but I get it. And since I get it, they (and I) can probably turn down the volume.

[donerleg]

I work at whole foods and i get ever so tired of having to keep my mouth shut while people rant and rave about what they think is right and wrong and how anyone that disagrees with them is bound to be a mindless idiot or a backwoods hillbilly "christian" liar. I want to get up on a mountain and proclaim that they havent the foggiest idea of who GOD is or isnt, or what right and wrong is or isnt but i just love them and pray for them because that is what i feel called to do. But this election has brought something up in me that cant be kept down. I cant watch and be silent while the slamming goes on. I know there is a place for that but there is a place for speaking the truth as well. Someone will argue that it is only my truth but that is not so, it is ancient truth. Built in the blood that God put in our veins. Thou shalt not KILL. You cannot refute that. you can cut this if you want to its ok with me :)

[banzai]

I'm just ready for all of it not to be attached to Presidential candidates-because really, it isn't. The truth will stand long after McCain, Obama, Palin, Biden and all the rest are dust (it stood long before any of them). We're using them and "issues" as surrogates for conversations we should actually be having with one another. Unsurprisingly, it's not working very well.