There was a time when my ignorance prevailed and, although I voted, I didn’t really believe it made a difference. All that talk in high school about the electoral college left me with a healthy dose of condemnation for the system.
Fast forward some. In the military, I became more jaded about the process. My commander in chief is who it is and there’s nothing I can do about it. Arguing would be futile. Honestly, I was so focused on keeping myself alive that I didn’t give voting much thought.
Today. The power of the citizen voice is not only imperative but also incomprehensible. It matters more than ever. An entire state flipped. A lame duck. States experiencing things they haven’t seen in nearly 40 years.
I received a front row view of opinions, highlights, and perspectives during my PhD research. Border communities are fascinating. They believe in each other in a way many other communities could benefit. Dare I say we could all learn a lesson from that kind of support. But what I didn’t like seeing were the hushed glances, the quiet words spoken in fear of retribution. I saw them all. When a community fears elected officials, we have a big problem. Interestingly, the difference in those people and the ones who presently surround me are they made no mention of religion. Red was not tied to Christianity and blue was not tied to Atheist heathens. Or is it the other way around? They simply believed in each other and a better life for everyone. If that’s not indicative of the greater good, then I don’t know what is.
Someone asked how my work place had been since the election. I said fitness doesn’t care who you vote for or pray for. Fitness is do or do not. There is no in between.
The more important question is who is going to take all these political signs down?
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I ask you –
Really, who removes the signs?
(The post What a time first appeared here at Running on Fumes.)
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