Today is election day, and every time this comes around I am faced with my own ridiculous apathy regarding anything political. I just don’t care. But lately I have been trying to make myself care, and not just to be hip, either. If I’m going to enter Recovery and spend an entire year turning myself upside down and inside out, I might as well not leave any rocks unturned – including the political ones.
I don’t even know where to begin unpacking the labyrinth of my political views or nonviews. I think it begins with my personality generally being one that follows rather than leads. I’m lazy. I would rather have someone tell me what to believe than do any work to figure it out for myself. So, just as much of my Christian faith felt inherited by my family until I wrestled it out on my own in my twenties, my political views are largely inherited by my upbringing as well.
Where I come from, Christians are Republicans. So I’ve always assumed I am a Republican. Which is laughable to me since I’m constantly distancing myself from anything remotely resembling the ‘religious right,’ reassuring anyone who doesn’t already know that I am not THAT kind of Christian. I mean really, who wants to be associated with The Guy who says homosexuality caused airplanes to fly into buildings? CERTAINLY not me.
I also have these two friends – who I love dearly and whose walk with God I am in tune with – who rant about the Iraq war and (gasp!) complain about Bush. Christians? Complaining about our REPUBLICAN President??? At first the thought of this dazed me because, for cryin’ out loud, CHRISTIANS ARE REPUBLICANS. So slowly, over time, I have begun to separate the idea of being a Christian with also being a Republican – and not necessarily because I didn’t want to be a republican anymore (not that I ever knew what that really meant), but because I didn’t want to be ignorant anymore.
It was as if Jesus and Bush were married, then got divorced, and I had to choose which one to still be friends with.
So now I am starting over. I am a virgin politic. I know nothing and have allegiance to nothing, and I promise to follow the issues and not be apathetic anymore.
Yeah!!!! Me too! Me too!
This year I actually started following some of the issues but I still haven’t gotten up off my but to register and vote. Next election though I’m going to be first in line.
Figuring out what you believe… that’s all I ever ask anyone to do. I’m so proud.
Lovely post….so did you get out and vote?
This was the latest in my voting history (which began just weeks after I turned 18) that I have ever made it to the polls. Joe and I cruised in there at about 7:45pm. We let Joey distract the sweet seniors who run the joint, while we got to it.
Something to consider is that you don’t have to vote on every issue or position on the ballot. You can choose to read up and understand one or more of the issues and make a difference in those. Sometimes it can be overwhelming and I think people should start small and then actually do it.