In a discussion this past Sunday, a member of my church said that he didn’t vote and had never voted. He went on to say that he didn’t see that voting made any difference, as if it made no difference who was in office. Although it certainly seems at times that people who run for public office are in it for themselves, this abrogation of an essential part of our democracy reflects a cynicism that we often hear regarding our country.
Graft and unethical, if not illegal, enrichment by people sworn to serve the people who elected them, destroys our faith in whether elected officials really work for the good of the people they are supposed to serve. This cynicism goes beyond political party and reflects a loss of faith in what we may call the social good.
The “what’s in it for me?” approach that we often hear reflects a moral breakdown, the loss of faith in the idea of the common good, a far greater threat to our society than any terrorist could muster. Now there is barely a murmur when public officials use their positions to enrich themselves and their families, but the power of the vote can dethrone them. That’s why there’s such a fight over voter rolls in certain states where corrupt officials are fighting to keep their power.
Prayer for the Day
Light of our souls, we come to cast away the darkness
That holds us and contains us in its prison;
More than knowledge of the mind, we seek wisdom of the spirit
Freeing us from our past and moving us into the future.
Illumine us with your presence and shape our response
So that we live with the hope that you give to us.
In the name of the One who gives us hope,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Democracy is based upon the conviction there are extraordinary possibilities in ordinary people.
Rev. Harry Emerson Fosdick, founder Riverside Church (1878-1969)
Someone struggled for your right to vote. Use it
Susan B. Anthony, American suffragist (1820-1906)
Do not envy the wicked, nor desire to be with them;
For their minds devise violence, and their lips talk mischief.
Proverbs 24:1-2