This is an issue I get a lot of personal grief about from my otherwise close friends. It causes pain between us. But it is important to me; a principle, you might say.

I don't vote. But I'm not apathetic.

I care about what happens in our world, and I care about what happens inside me too. I have to make a choice. Let's call it active non-participation.

Voting is participation in our system of democracy. Some call it a right, some call it an obligation. But basically, it is just a small part of the large system of government that we are born into. (Im talking US, here, just play along)

When you participate in something in this way, you give a little bit of yourself to the world. This I believe is a good thing, and a reason that I do consider being a voter.

When you participate in something, you also create a little bit of your self. My self doesn't want to be a voter, a citizen, a democrat. I could rant until hoarse about injustice, corruption, indignity. But do I want to? My self wants to be a human being, an animal, an artist, a survivor. Not a cog in someone else's idea of a nation.

I like to think of myself as simply a human, born on this land of North America by chance or by Fate, I can't even guess. I do not think that the cosmic order (whatever that is) sees me as a citizen of any nation (though I know that the government of this nation would certainly have it that way). I want to worry about my neighbor, on my street. Whether he is hungry, or alone, or in need. I want to worry about my inner world, the one I create.

The part of the world that is about governing others, about politics, and corruption, greed, and power... I want to make that part of the world as small inside my self as I can.

So I don't participate, I simply don't vote.

Its a hard thing to explain... I want to spend my so small strength, my so feeble talents, my oh so few days, on something else, that's all.

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