It’s easy to take freedom for granted. We have grown so accustomed to our God-given rights over the years that many of us hardly give a passing thought to the concept that in a democracy, the power is vested with the people.
The revolutionary idea that inspired the creation of a nation 238 years ago is frequently overshadowed by, well, just about anything. The focus is more on the “me” than “We the people.”
A 2012 survey found that 18 percent of eligible voters did not cast ballots because they were “too busy,” while another 13 percent were “not interested.” We will hear some of the same excuses for not voting in today’s election, and that’s tragic.
Granted, some voters are turned off by the incessant negative ads. Campaigns run them because they work, but while candidates nuke each other, there is collateral damage to the innocent voters, who end up confused or dispirited.
But consider the awesome power of elections in a democracy. As the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas said, “The major achievement in the free society is in the ability to change the status quo without violence, to cast a current practice into limbo and adopt a new one by an election, to remake the economy or renovate an institution, yet not destroy it, to refashion even the structure of government by votes rather than by force.”
We must avoid the easy route toward cynicism or apathy and be reminded that with freedom comes responsibility, a duty to our country to be more than just apathetic bystanders. The real power in a democracy, if we choose to use it, rests with the people. “There is no excuse for us just giving up on that power,” said President Obama during a campaign rally Sunday.
He’s right. Do we just shrug our shoulders because we’re tired of the ads or are not enamored by any of the candidates? Participation in the electoral process should be a source of pride that speaks to a person’s acknowledgment of the awe-inspiring capacity of a free society.
Abdicating that responsibility lessens our country by undermining the freedom from which all other things in this country spring. Voting is more than the choice of a candidate; it’s the continuation of a momentous process that has withstood internal and external challenges for well over two centuries.