Have you already started voting? Have you waited in line? Have you stood as constituents, arrayed as a solid force of Red or Blue, molded in your gerrymandered district? Have you stood brave amongst your ideological opposite, the lone blue in a sea of red, the brave red in a sea of blue? Have you voted? If you have, congratulations on exercising the franchise. I can only hope you have done what’s right given the candidate running and the prevailing issues of today’s America.
If you have voted I hope you voted with a critical thinking mind and a compassionate heart. I say be compassionate as you vote because it matters. Compassion elevates our humanity, and makes us considerate as our sisters’ and brothers’ keepers. There is far too little compassion in our national discourse. I say think with a critical thinking mind because I have said critical thinking is the balm for what ails us. We must all strive to be critical thinkers. We must all strive to elevate our politics. We must all strive to build a more cohesive polity, which realize the power of us all being together, being in it to build better, together.
If you haven’t voted, then I will show you an example of how I believe it must be done. It takes time. It requires some work. However, now more than ever before I think we must truly again treat the franchise at the powerful and highly valued commodity that it is. The franchise is the root of American freedom. The franchise drives the soul of our nation. The franchise defines the course of the generation. The franchise informs the era, and highlights who we are, what we believe, and how we behave. Yes, it is just that important. That is why women marched for it. That is why women were jailed for it. That is why women were tortured for it. That’s why people of color hung for it. That’s why people of color were beaten for it. That is why people of color were shot down in the street for it, cold and compassionless as less-than beings more akin to beasts of property than beings of dignity, upright and deserving as any white man lacking melanin.
Please take a moment to review the post on how to use 3FE to vote tomorrow I think you will find it illuminating, at least I hope you do. Consider it critically. And remember, be kind to yourselves, and each other.