Election Reflections of a Voting Yogi

Never say that there is no power in your vote. This goes for every nationality that lives in this American country. The power of the Cuban vote showed us a lot, the power of the Latino vote showed us a lot, the power of the Black vote showed us a LOT... when we say “it doesn’t matter if I vote or not, things will still be the same” that is only if you believe that to be true. If so, be prepared with solid reasoning when those who listen will ask you why. Don’t wave them off if you feel convicted and committed to your decision. Be accountable. If this election has shown us enough, one of those aspects are that people who definitely want to see change and believe that they hold the power to change by slipping in that sheet of paper, we hold more power in our hands than we give ourselves credit for. We choose to limit our power of understanding and reasoning to help another who hasn’t reach that plateau of consciousness; yet, sometimes and we have to remind ourselves to come back to that state and continue to transcend in knowledge of what goes on around us, because of us, and for us.

We are the ones in control. We as the people of this country can move those fabricated blockades aside that once resembled impenetrable walls. From 18-33 years of age, I’ve been in all 3 major parties to understand how they think. You can have your agreements/disagreements and still be willing to learn the ways of many and why they function the way they do. I’ve mentioned this in many of conversations with my peers and got to see more than what books, cited sources, and what my parents taught me. This helped me realize that there is more to democracy than just the party (which most of us adults well into age ARE aware of but let incentives lead their gluttonous interests).

Our vote, our understanding of our state amendments when there are people who have taken the time to literally break them down into 5 year old terms for us to visually ingest, the angels and demons of each competitor for the seat in question, the understanding of voting percentages in the House and Senate, why electing certain officials into those seats can help or harm our future decisions... to live in this country is to understand its infrastructure. It’s almost like a skeleton and muscular systems. Our body cannot function without them, so our country cannot function without the understanding and knowledge with time taken to understand their importance to everything we do. It’s easy to say that every politician is corrupt— every human is corrupt. (We lie, we say things we don’t mean, we change things for better, or we sometimes wreak havoc when thinking it’s for the best when sometimes it may affect others. How different are they from us?)

They are us. We hold them way to high up on a pedestal because of the power we give... maybe we should just remove the pedestal and create some even footing so that we all can speak on the same page when we vote for these officials that took the time, energy, sacrifices, donations, and best foot forward to reach these seats in our government.

To vote is not just to say “okay I did it, so now what?” Do your research to explain to others who may have trouble understanding your point of view, so that they can come to their conclusion with the information gathered and can make a decision they feel is best. Hopefully they have understood that within their personal power and confident assurance that they can say what they feel on behalf of their city/county/state/nation.

This is why your vote matters and why we make such a big deal. Because in times like these, we really need to put ALL of our heads together and work together to change the negative narratives into organically-positive tones. Our adrenals need a break. We need to take deep breaths and remember the power we have as a nation who wants change from all corners. We can do this. And as we choose to do so, we realize awesomeness and a faith like none before.

So if you voted, great. If you didn’t, hopefully next time around you will once you get past the “I don’t vote because I don’t like the person...” This (THIS- meaning 2020 in a nutshell, COVID-19, 200,000+ deaths, unemployment, shuttered businesses, code enforcement violations, social distancing issues and tense situations, hyper-anxious rhetoric, white supremacists, Civil Rights For Black/Indigenous/Latino/LGBTQ+ battles, Roe v. Wade, Black Lives Mattering, et cetera) is bigger than these two individuals that are taking on the country to help us make sense of these things and work with changing these narratives for the best outcomes possible. They need our help. If we put them in power, we should be able to walk with them every step of the way. We shouldn’t just say, “well, it’s up to them now,” because it’s not. It’s up to us as well. It always has been.