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.