Why Your Vote Matters More Than You Think

Just in case anyone reading this is planning not to vote on Nov. 4, I'd like to have a little chat with you. And for those who are voting, please keep reading. Let's have a talk about the bigger picture reason why your vote matters more than you realize.

On Nov. 4th, we all have the opportunity to exercise our rights as citizens and cast our ballots for the person we think will best guide us through the next four years and perhaps beyond. None of us knows what the outcome will be. But each of us who votes does so with our hearts, minds, and prayers in the hopes that whichever candidate wins, he (and someday she) will be a worthy steward of the power invested in them as the leader of our country and the de facto leader of the free world. Only time will tell if that kind of leader emerges from this election.

There are still some people who plan to vote, yet declare themselves undecided. And others who have decided, and their decision, is to abstain from the process. As Americans, we also have that right.

I hear from some who feel they don't like either candidate and/or don't trust government, no matter which party holds the reins. "I'm sitting this one out", they say. If you're one of those people, please know that as you withhold your vote, you convey the message that your vote doesn't matter. That point of view may seem real, and based on how it's going out there in the world these days, it's tempting to become indifferent to the process. There might be a thousand reasons why you're convinced your vote doesn't matter.

But I want to point to something larger and perhaps less obvious than whether or not you vote in the presidential election on Nov. 4th. I ask you to consider: what happens to the human spirit if "you", the steward of that spirit, decide that your "vote" doesn't matter? The unconscious message being conveyed is "you don't matter".

In my experience of doing deep, inner work with people all over the world, what I see as the most common, consistent obstacle to living a powerful, creative, and satisfying life is the unconsciously held belief that "I don't matter." It's not that people walk around saying this to themselves. Most people are completely unaware they harbor this belief, but their lives reflect it.

It seems to be a universal experience in the human journey that somewhere along the road between birth and death, we all become disappointed or feel betrayed, we all have our hearts broken, our hopes punctured, our dreams dashed. At some point, we all feel misunderstood, mistreated, or misjudged. I've never met a person yet who, if they were truly honest with themselves, did not feel some version of this scenario. Who among us has never felt devastated by life, either by a personal experience or by something that "hit close to home"?

As you've read here many times: It's not what happens to us that matters, it's what we do with what happens to us that really counts". And if, in the face of disappointment, loss and devastation, you or I or we decide that "life sucks, who cares, why bother, I give up, my vote and voice don't matter", then the spark of life that is your spirit, your authentic self, the part of you that came here to wake and show up, the light in you that came to shine, grows dim and eventually, that light goes out. And then?

You die. Maybe your body is still walking around, but the you; you came to be, the unique expression of your spirit, becomes smothered under cynicism, indifference or resignation. This might sound like strong medicine to be doling out here and if you're still with me, I commend you for hanging in.

So before you decide your vote doesn't matter in this election, I ask you consider this question: where else in your life are you "sitting this one out"? Where have you pulled back, gathered up your marbles and left the playing field because you didn't like or agree with the way the game was being played? What relationships have stopped working due, in part, to your decision not to fully participate?

You might be absolutely correct in your assumption that not voting is a way to register your destain for the corruption of the process or the candidates. I would not argue that the process is without serious problems. Nevertheless, by not participating the process, you give up your right to have a say in the matter. That, ultimately, is the premise upon which this country was founded.

If you think your one vote doesn't matter, consider what the outcome would have been if our founding fathers felt that way. We wouldn't be here, for starters. Think of people who have made a difference throughout history. People like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Madam Curie, Henry Ford, the Wright brothers, Jonas Salk, Margaret Sanger, Susan B. Anthony, Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Oprah Winfrey. Then there are the ones whose names most of us don't know: the man who stood in front of the tank in Tiananmen Square or the first person who actually picked up a hammer and began to tear down the Berlin Wall.

What's the difference between any one of these people and you or me? Absolutely nothing! Except, these people chose to matter. No one gave them permission. Many of them chose to do so in the face of far more difficult circumstances than most of us encounter in our daily lives.

As you consider your vote in this election, ask yourself if you matter, if your one vote; your one life matters. Be honest. And if, after careful consideration, you still choose to "sit this one out", check out that bench you're keeping warm. Bench warming, whether on Nov. 4th or elsewhere in your life, may seem like a comfortable choice in the short term, but in the long run, it is lethal to the light of your spirit.

Whatever your choice, either way, it matters. You have the final say.

Comments

[GibsonSG]

Your vote only matters in heavily contested states. For instance, if you live in California or Illinois and think voting for McCain will make a difference, you are delusional. Your vote only counts for easing your conscience, not for electing the president. Obama won the popular vote by ~8% and won the electoral college by over 50%. Yeah, the electoral college is a great system.

[Dr. Judith Rich - Huffpost Blogger]

With all due respect, I think you missed the point of the article. Please reread the part about "More than you think". I was really attempting to point to the larger implications beyond just the mechanics of voting.

It's really about getting that your vote matters, beyond election day, but every day of your life.

I appreciate that you took the time to comment, so thanks for weighing in.

All the best,
Judith

[trgrayson]

Thank you utoledo for your passion - I can feel it jumping off the screen! Thank God for our freedom of speech! All voices get to be heard.

Thank you Judith for your point that it's not who you vote for, but that you vote. I don't care if you vote for Minnie Mouse (is she running by the way?) just get out and let your voice be heard!

Yes, indeed, let's all make history together!!!! Only a short 40 years after MLK and here we are - SO EXCITING!!!!!

[hobnob]

Dear Judith:
In review of your posts to date, this one confirms the core of all your writings. You are writing about the consciousness behind the motivating behavior/emotion/belief. Your goal is to elucidate what lies in the unconscious that undermines our ability to move freely in our environment - to choose freely, to acknowledge our worth and purpose.

Andrew Bacevich, in his new book Limits of Power, writes with this same understanding about the individual and the mass consciousness of our society. It seems a shift in consciousness is in progress - writers, artists, economists, political scientist (this includes politicians who are accessing their deepest values without compromise), and more importantly the emerging global citizen. This kind of citizen is more about presence than culture; more about other than self and about listening to ones innate intelligence.

When you here the truth resound in you as you read such writings, your posts in progression, join wtih a new collective expression on how we can learn to choose together.our destiny.

I look forwad to your next "soul massage."

Dr. Darryl Hobson
Niwot, Colorado

[Dr. Judith Rich - Huffpost Blogger]

Darryl,

Many thanks for your thoughtful comments. I love what you shared about Bacevich's book, that a new kind of global citizen is emerging. That the future will be more about presence and learning to listen to our innate intelligence.

That has been the focus of my work for over 30 years. And yes, it rings true for me that we are turning the page on the old paradigm and on the cusp of a massive shift in consciousness.

Many thanks to you and to all the readers here for being part of that shift.

Writing these articles has certainly been a "soul massage" for me. I am more than honored if they contribute to you and others.

All the best,
Judith

[InnerWorks Institute]

Think of all the people in history that had no voice and spoke out anyway. Rosa Parks is the first person that comes to mind. What if she continued to feel that she couldn't make an impact and just kept on walking to the back of the bus? That one action she made, that one choice to sit at the front of the bus, changed an entire nation.

There are many examples of one person making a difference in the world... And all it really took was one thought, one action, one choice, one VOTE. The tragedy lies not in the actions of our politicians, but in the inactions of the American public. People consistently, on a daily basis, ignore their own power. We all have the power to have our lives look the way we want them to...our lives including our communities, our government, our world. Those that call me idealistic...well, maybe idealism is exactly what we need.

I ask all the non-voters: If not you, then who? If not now, then when?

[Dr. Judith Rich - Huffpost Blogger]

So true and so well said. Thanks for adding Rosa Parks' name to the list of those who made their single vote count.

Who else would you, readers, want to put on that list? Who has touched and impacted you by their making their vote count?

[lewes17266]

There is a lady whose name was Fannie Lou Hamer whose story makes me cry. She is the person who said "I am sick and tired of being sick and tired."
You can read about her here if you are interested. http://blog.beliefnet.com/godspolitics/2008/08/yes-fannie-lou-hamer-this-is-a.html

[Eli Davidson - Huffpost Blogger]

Thank you for reminding each of us how very important our vote and our contribution is. I believe that our real work is going to be needed AFTER the election. Our nation needs us to do more than vote. We need to build bridges to those that are less conscious.

Thank you for being a wayshower.

[Dr. Judith Rich - Huffpost Blogger]

How true! That's the work now, and for the forseeable future.

So nice to see you here, Eli.

Thanks for your contribution. I look forward to your next blog in the HP!

All the best,
Judith

[Dr. Judith Rich - Huffpost Blogger]

PS- Glad to see you finally got the blogger sign in to function correctly!

[utoledo]

Do you mean that BHO is qualified to be president because he was pres. of Harvard Law Review? And how did he get that job. Four years in the Sen. of which he has been running for president three of those years. Also, are you proud of his selection of associates? Do you need their names?

[lewes17266]

I am looking forward to the big day. Both my children will be voting this time and they are taking it very seriously. My youngest had already made his decision for Obama, leaving my husband the only family member voting for McCain, but just last night he was in the kitchen with me discussing the issues again and kind of balancing the positives and the negatives of each candidate like he was still not sure. I am so proud of him and want him to think for himself, even if his choice is McCain.
In my view, the only possible choice to lead is Barack Obama. I have faith that both my children will on November 4th reject war, torture, warrantless surveillance, and "agents of intolerance," and embrace compassion, thoughtful intelligence, healing from a hurtful past, a national healthcare plan, and "change we can believe in!"

[ClaraListensprechen]

Thank you for having a chat with me, but votes in Oklahoma really do NOT count.

1) Not enough electoral college votes. This was evidenced tonight in Rachel Maddow's football field segment on her show on MSNBC. Indiana, Ohio, Florida were all up on McCain's side of the 40 yard line, and despite its being traditionally deep and solidly red, it wasn't even on the ball field.

2) AP ran an article about how mystified Oklahoma Republican operatives were about Obama actually running ads in the state, pontificating that an Obama win in Oklahoma would have a snowball's chance. Did any news outlet outside of Oklahoma run the article? I sure couldn't find one.

3) Does anybody on Huffington Post even know how Oklahoma politics even works? Forget that question--does anyone in Huffingtom Post management thinks its readership even cares? If nobody else in the media outside Oklahoma doesn't care, why should HuffPo? If HuffPo thinks Oklahoma isn't something that its readers care about, they'd be in good company with the Weather Channel, whose weatherpeople ALWAYS stands in a manner blocking Oklahoma when they're showing the weather everywhere else.

Now--explain to be again how my vote counts. I didn't quite catch that the first time.

[Dr. Judith Rich - Huffpost Blogger]

It's not about who you vote for. It's about THAT you vote, whether you live in Oklahoma or Ohio, your vote matters.

And Oklahoma matters too!

[utoledo]

Please list four things that Obama has accomplished that will qualify him to be president

[lewes17266]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sean-gilfillan/dont-hire-palin-how-palin_b_122726.html
utoledo, You must read this essay.

[honestpolitician]

Excellent article!

LISTEN ALL: Please Go Vote! There has been many confirmed reports of voting fraud with the Republican Party and Obama is in need of all the votes necessary to create a landslide. Let's make sure that our state turns blue! Voting is a right and a privilege. Let's all make history together!

http://politicaladattacks.blogspot.com/

[rchfc]

dear dr J, thank you for expressing yourself. i have already voted. it was good of you to help out in reminding me. i'm in my 70's now and i often forget what to do on election day. but please don't nag.
you do have such a heartful way of nudging. i can't decide if you are speaking directly to me or if you consider me just one of the many men in your crowd. i feel sad now.

[lewes17266]

I always feel like this essayist is speaking directly to ME.

[Joaninha]

Beautifully said. Thank you.