Very few experiences are worse than one in which your morals and beliefs are discredited because someone else finds them ignorant or unintelligent. I say this because the year is 2016, November is approaching, and political lines are not only firmly drawn, but there are also walls built with armor protecting their respective armies. For some reason, people choose to make elections a partisan issue, and they think someone voting for the opposing party hates them simply for their partisan stances. Any time my political beliefs have been discredited, I stop and think: Has this person even thought about how my ideologies originated? I am tired of trying to defend a candidate. I am tired of trying to explain why hateful characters are, indeed, hateful. I am tired of hateful rhetoric and outrageous ideas filled with discrimination. I am tired of trying to explain the importance of voting for love and acceptance rather than hate and exile. I do not support liberal candidates simply because I hate conservative politicians and those who vote for these conservative politicians. I support liberal candidates because of their firm beliefs and how they coincidentally align with mine. Side note: Liberal is not a dirty word. I do not take offense to it. Anyone who does identify as a liberal person will never be offended. My political ideologies did not precede my beliefs. Instead, I knew my beliefs, I held firmly to them, and then, one day, I discovered the world of politics. From the year I was able to vote and up until now, I have never once changed my morals because of a political surge. I should not have to sacrifice this part of myself. Instead, I simply choose to vote for those who share my morals and my beliefs system. Why I Vote Blue: I do not vote blue because I hate people with money. I vote blue because I grew up in Smalltown America in which lower income families multiply and their homes crumble. I do not vote blue because I hate religion. I vote blue because I believe in religious freedom for ALL—not only for a select few. I vote blue because I not only believe in equality, but I believe in justice for all—despite any physical or mental differential characteristic. I do not vote blue because I hate babies. I vote blue because I believe in a woman’s right to choose how to handle her own body. I do not discriminate people who sign DNRs or choose to handle their bodies in other manners, and I expect for women who make this extremely difficult decision to receive the same respect. I do not vote blue because I hate tradition. I vote blue because I believe in innovation and refurbishing the wonderful country in which we live. We possess a plethora of opportunities, and I think we should fully take advantage of them. I do not vote blue because I hate America. I vote blue because we each stem from people who fled their own countries and chose to become immigrants in search of a better place. We now live in this better place, and we should be able to accept people who acknowledge this freedom. I do not vote blue because I am ignorant to crime and addiction. I vote blue because I have seen firsthand how addiction can completely obliterate a family. It should be treated as an ailment rather than something to live with for the rest of their lives. Once these individuals fulfill their punishments, they should be able to receive treatment and aid in order to live healthy and successful lives. We all make mistakes, and we all should receive the opportunity to learn from our mistakes rather than live with stained records. I hold on to my political ideologies because they intertwine with my beliefs and my morals. I’ve seen the pain caused by those who remain oblivious to the suffering, the poor, the ill, and the forgotten. If we could all extend a hand in order to help these individuals, maybe we would forget the hate and instead remember how to let in the grace of love.
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AuthorLauren is a Ball State University alumna with a Bachelor's degree in English and a concentration in Creative Writing. She enjoys breakfast for dinner with a side of literary enjoyment. Archives
December 2017
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