As the prospect of Tuesday’s polls looms closer, it’s impossible not to spend time pondering the candidates. Actually, they’ve been impossible to ignore for months now. It seems that every other day there’s a new scandal or controversy. Whether it’s an email fiasco or sexist remark, there is never a shortage of gossip. We tuned into presidential debates like they were reality television, and scrolled on as gossip ravaged the internet like a celebrity divorce. If anything, this presidential race has been entertaining.
But on Tuesday it becomes real.
Cue the dramatic music if you will, but that sentence bears a lot of significance, and for many of us, dread. Neither candidate is perfect. Their plans? Theoretical. Their track records? Spotty—very spotty. But for all of the negativity surrounding both presidential hopefuls, the most important trait to ponder is selfishness.
Hold it. Before you begin listing selfish actions of either candidate, take a breath. The selfishness I’m referring to doesn’t involve either candidate’s political career or monetary decisions; it involves us as voters.
We are so accustomed to hearing that voting is a privilege and means of advocating our opinions. We are told that it’s our chance to make an impact on politics and express our wants. We are told that our vote is our right, and it is, but having the right to vote is more than a privilege. It’s a responsibility.
Yes, you have absolutely every right to vote for personal gain—that’s a huge aspect of freedom of speech. But lately, we’ve taken to voting as a way to promote our selfish wants. We have determined that our vote is a way to stand up and fight only for ourselves, and we have segregated our vote from the basic moral values we have heard since we were children. “Treat others the way you want to be treated” might not cross your mind when you hear the word ‘vote.’ Because of this, we sometimes forget that voting is also meant to be an aid for others. We forget that it’s a way to display selflessness and empathy, and it’s a way to fight for our country as a whole, not as a fractured mass of peoples.
So before you hit the polls on Tuesday, think about what your vote means. Take a second to contemplate how that candidate will affect a person who is completely unrelated to you. Whether it is a veteran, teacher, businesswoman, LGBTQ member or anyone else in this country, how will your vote affect them? If we vote simply because it’s the best situation for ourselves, are we really that much better than the corrupt politicians we’re so eager to rebel against? If we fight fire with fire, who’s to say that we won’t go up in flames?