VOTING ON BALANCE: The perils of single issue voting and not voting at all
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Why do I write about politics in this here Harmonious Balance newsletter? In case you haven’t read my Substack profile, the intent of this newsletter is to address the many things that throw us off balance. With the hope that we can make steps towards balance if we come to grips with what throws us off-balance. And the political landscape here in the United States seems to be as off-balance as it gets for a democracy. I know we like to act like politics is this totally separate entity that has no real bearing on daily life. Or that it is a separate entity that we have no real connection to. Well these two ideas couldn’t be further from the truth. We are in a serious spiritual crisis here in the States. When I say, spiritual, I’m not talking about religion, I’m talking about our identity and intention as a nation. I’ve written about this before. You are most certainly welcome and encouraged to reference this article to understand how spiritual energy is defined.
On to Voting On Balance…
All of the recent campus protests along with how the universities and police have responded to protesters has me nervous. Truth be told, I haven’t followed the protests closely. Nor have I followed the Israeli war against the Palestinians closely. Why? I’ve always felt powerless and at a loss when it comes to conflict in the Middle East, particularly any Arab-Israeli conflict. I feel the heaviness of it. It’s an age-old conflict that has stumped world leaders for centuries. While I haven’t followed the recent events closely, I am aware of what appears to be indiscriminate force and cruelty on the part of Israel. Protests have erupted all over the world. Here in the States, students across college campuses are doing their part to try to force an end to the inhumane approach taken by Israel. At least, that’s my summation.
Of course college students are mostly comprised of young adults. Young adults that, in general, aren’t readily engaged in the political, more so the electoral, process. Young adults who can be easily disillusioned by political candidates. Young adults, who, along with the general electorate, are not that enthusiastic about our choices in the 2024 presidential election. Young adults that may be inclined to withhold their vote at a time when voter turnout is absolutely critical.
The idea that the 2024 presidential election is critical may fall on deaf ears. Just about every election is considered to be the most important election in history. And perhaps that should be the nature of elections. We face new challenges that we have to rise as a nation to meet all the time. But 2024 is different. As much as I am tired of hearing the word unprecedented to describe everything, unprecedented is an accurate descriptor.
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We are on the precipice of re-electing a man who attempted to overturn an election that he lost. An individual that will seek political retribution and a fascist agenda. He hasn’t spoken in innuendo about it either. Rather, he has spoken openly about it and to top it all off, he has been indicted on 91 felony charges in four different jurisdictions. An individual who will have absolutely no qualms about Israel annihilating Palestinians. Many may believe on the latter point, that there is no daylight between the two candidates. I beg to differ. Paraphrasing former President Barack Obama…
One can have moral clarity while navigating the perplexities of the world that may impede progress.
Between our current and former president, the two leading candidates for the presidency in 2024, I think it is pretty clear which one has more moral clarity and which one clearly lacks moral clarity entirely. I would argue anyone that is paying attention sees this contrast clearly. The inverse of my argument would be that anyone who can’t see this contrast clearly is not paying attention. As simple as that inverse sounds, I’m not sure it can be completely attributed to not paying attention. I believe there are some fundamental beliefs that are off-balance and fog up the clarity that seems to elude so many voters. In my opinion there are four pervasive beliefs that produce an off-balance electorate Those four beliefs include:
Candidates have to earn my vote.
My vote does not make a difference.
Not voting is a viable option.
One particular issue drives voting decisions, aka, single issue voting.
Let’s get into why I believe these four beliefs are off-balance and perilous to our national well-being.
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