With the upcoming Canadian election my social media feeds have been saturated with political messages. However far apart they may be ideologically, there is one underlying tenet they all share: "Your vote will determine the future of our country." Though it is seemingly the sole point of unity in all of the rhetoric, and though I risk the ire of every side in saying so, I respectfully disagree.
Your vote, while arguably important, might just be one of the least significant things you can contribute to the future of your country.
The cynics make the case that we are essentially powerless and that democracy is an illusion. I am not suggesting that they are right, in fact I believe that both arguments stem from the common belief that the politicians are truly the ones with power; the difference is that some people believe we get a brief window at election time to make our voices heard. If that's true then it is no wonder that the voices have reached fever pitch by this point!
both arguments stem from the common belief that the politicians are truly the ones with power
A few months ago there was an editorial published in Time magazine. The author bemoaned a recent U.S. supreme court ruling which went against his own values and (melodramatically) spoke of living "as exiles in our own country". He advocated adopting the posture of an exile, encouraging like-minded individuals to withdraw from public life so they could be free to live according to "traditional virtues".
Having put his faith in the power of the political establishment, only to have it fail to uphold his own viewpoint over dissenting ones, the author's solution was surrender and self-imposed exile until the world either comes to its senses or falls apart completely. Only then could the author imagine returning from the woods to rebuild society, much like the monks at the end of the Dark Ages.
rather than adopting the posture of an exile, could we instead adopt the posture of a missionary?
Let me offer a modest counter proposal: rather than adopting the posture of an exile, could we instead adopt the posture of a missionary? The missionary knows that many countries' governments are either unable or unwilling to provide certain needed services to at least some part of their populations, and thus the mission agencies negotiate for the privilege of being in those countries to assist. Missionaries understand that their role, if any, in government affairs is generally limited to advocacy for the less fortunate. And yet, the missionary madly goes on believing that she can make a real difference.
Far from being "exiles in our own country", those of us from Western nations are in tremendous positions of privilege! If we want Canada to be the country that looks after its poor, we can just go ahead and do that. If we want Canada to be the country that welcomes immigrants, let's welcome a few ourselves. If the government wants to get involved that's great but we must not imagine that we need them. After all, look what aid workers and humanitarian organizations are accomplishing around the world in countries where they have no voice in local, regional or national politics.
look what aid workers and humanitarian organizations are accomplishing around the world in countries where they have no voice in local, regional or national politics.
If I haven't lost you yet, I have one entreaty to make: I know that each of us feels strongly about the values we want our countries to demonstrate both at home and abroad. If voting is our only opportunity to have an impact in that regard, I can understand why we may be tempted to put our politics ahead of our relationships and risk alienating others in order to score a point for "our party". If, on the other hand, those relationships are what are really going to matter when we actually get down to work, then perhaps we are offering too great a sacrifice on the altar of politics.
Every action we take casts a vote in the future of our country, so let's get out there and stuff the ballot box.
Peace,
Theo
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