A Different Way to Vote

“A highly developed values system is like a compass. It serves as a guide to point you in the right direction when you are lost.” -Idowu Koyenikan

In the U.S, the primaries are upon us in this presidential election year. As usual, the process seems to be more about fault-finding than solution-finding, more about division than integration. I am saddened by this state of affairs and reticent to even listen to the “news”, as the content does not often seem new or particularly newsworthy. However, it seems likely that a combination of avoidance, complacency, and false security contributed greatly to the conditions of our government at this time- eg. extreme polarization of the two main political parties, a cancellation process that makes progress almost impossible, an absence of strong platform presentations, emphasis on what’s bad rather than what could be better, limitations on freedom of speech and press, and de-emphasis of basic human rights.

My intent here is not to debate political views or espouse one party or candidate over another. My purpose is to look at a bigger picture of how we, as individuals, can contribute to solutions rather problems. How might a person participate in any election process (community, national, or international) without contributing to the problems created by that process? My hope is that, wherever you live and whatever role you have in your society, that you will consider the opportunity you have to apply the ideas presented here in a way that helps you be, live, and vote from your deepest sense of who you are (which only you can determine). Since my current perspective on the matter of voting is a fairly recent one, I hope you will feel some resonance with my sharing of the process that led me to it.

As a college student, I was passionate about “issues” and enjoyed debating them with my family, friends, fellow students, and professors as though it was possible and necessary to find the “right” answers and vote accordingly. As such, I looked at where the candidates stood on issues I felt most strongly about. I voted across party lines for the candidate who represented most of the things I wanted to see in the world. It was not until the late 1980’s, when programs I associated with basic support and security (ie. health care insurance, the banking system, the stock market, the Social Security system, environmental protection programs, and international relations) seemed to be crumbling that I felt compelled to align with a party. Party politics became increasingly prominent and polarized, to the point where individual candidate views were difficult to define. There also seemed to be a distinct difference in “attitude” within each party about how best to support humans and other life on the planet. Since the “business” of my life as well as my career focuses on the well-being of humans and all living things, the shift in my political stance seemed natural in my own development as well as a product of the times. 

Today, it seems that voting (in the United States) strictly by party has reached the end of its usefulness. The major parties are so divided that, no matter which one is “in power” at any given time, little progress can be made. Bills of any significance cannot get passed, except by non-democratic decree, because consensus cannot be reached. Those with the power to break the deadlock dare not step across party lines for fear of political and personal consequences. In this current election year, I hear meaningless proclamations and so much fighting going on within and between candidates and their followers on all sides that it is a monumental task to become informed enough to make information-based decisions on which to base a vote. Perhaps that’s why the percentage of people who vote in this country is only about half of the eligible population.

This year I did some soul searching. I realize that with my vote, as with all aspects of my life, I want to be part of solutions rather than problems. This year I decided to vote the way my heart wants me to go. In other words, I’ll vote from my deepest values and from my intuitive sense of about which candidate most closely matches those values. I encourage you to ask yourself whether it is time for you to take this approach to voting, since it is clear that a linear and “objective” approach is next to impossible at a time when sensationalism and division, on all sides, is taking precedence over what we used to be able to trust as “the news”.  

I looked for a list of common human values comprehensive enough to be meaningful without being too unwieldy to fit in this article. The list I chose is taken from an article on www.psychologytoday.com ,written by Tchiki Davis PhD, whose book entitled Outsmart Your Smart Phone, focuses on helping people to find happiness, balance, and connection with and beyond technology. Take a look:

Authenticity               Adventure                  Balance

Bravery                      Compassion                Challenge

Citizenship                Community                Creativity

Curiosity                    Determination           Fairness

Freedom                    Friendship                   Fun

Generosity                Growth                        Honesty

Influence                   Justice                        Kindness

Knowledge                Leadership                 Learning

Love                            Loyalty                       Openness

Optimism                  Recognition                Respect

Responsibility           Security                       Self-Respect

Social connection    Spirituality               Stability

Status                         Wealth                       Wisdom

I worked myself through the following exercise to discover what I want my vote to be based upon. I hope you will find it meaningful.

TRY THIS:

1-Read the list of values. Add any values not listed here that are important to you.

2-Cross out the ones that you value slightly or not at all.

3-Think of the way you want to live the rest of your life. Think also, if your life influences young people, of the values you want to teach them.

4-From the remaining list, circle the ones that stand out the most to you, even if you don’t know why.

5- From that list, choose your top ten as representative of where your heart would lead you

6- From your heart, based on what you intuitively know about yourself and about those who are running for office, choose who to vote for from your heart.

Your vote may not be perfect but it will be a reflection of who you are.