Voting "Please, Lord: Now!"
Voting this time was unlike any other. By 5:30 a.m., the line ahead of me was over a hundred people. Under the friendly, chatty atmosphere there was intensity, quiet, determination, and a sense of hope that was amazing and heartening.
I chose my vote by default: I couldn't vote for one candidate - it was just impossible as a woman; as someone who respects others' right to be different with dignity and full rights of citizenship; as a moderate; as an educator...as a thinking person. If nothing else, the possibility of having an unqualified, right wing religious fanatic as vice president (and quite possibly president) was too terrifying to consider.
In this state, it wouldn't have mattered if I voted as the outcome was a certainty. I considered not voting or voting down-ticket. In the end, I just couldn't bring myself to do that. The honor, privilege, and duty of voting could not be denied. With Tagore's definition of duty going through my mind, I went to the polls.
And I am so glad I did. Although I wish I had a candidate I really wanted to vote for available, being with a group of people blazing with the possibility of finally arriving at the shore after standing uninvited in the water for all those years was almost overwhelming. The hope and affirmation were palpable, almost blistering.
The little elderly lady, bundled in a too-big coat and tucked in a folding chair, waiting patiently to vote behind close to three hundred people smiled at each of us as we left, responding to good wishes with a repeated prayer: "Please, Lord: Now!"
Now the voting is over and the choice is made. I hope her vision holds true for more than this day.
I chose my vote by default: I couldn't vote for one candidate - it was just impossible as a woman; as someone who respects others' right to be different with dignity and full rights of citizenship; as a moderate; as an educator...as a thinking person. If nothing else, the possibility of having an unqualified, right wing religious fanatic as vice president (and quite possibly president) was too terrifying to consider.
In this state, it wouldn't have mattered if I voted as the outcome was a certainty. I considered not voting or voting down-ticket. In the end, I just couldn't bring myself to do that. The honor, privilege, and duty of voting could not be denied. With Tagore's definition of duty going through my mind, I went to the polls.
And I am so glad I did. Although I wish I had a candidate I really wanted to vote for available, being with a group of people blazing with the possibility of finally arriving at the shore after standing uninvited in the water for all those years was almost overwhelming. The hope and affirmation were palpable, almost blistering.
The little elderly lady, bundled in a too-big coat and tucked in a folding chair, waiting patiently to vote behind close to three hundred people smiled at each of us as we left, responding to good wishes with a repeated prayer: "Please, Lord: Now!"
Now the voting is over and the choice is made. I hope her vision holds true for more than this day.
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