And so it surprised me that people here are paying attention to our election. I guess I figured it was not something terrible and so why should the world be concerned? But it IS something huge. This election has extreme repercussions, no matter the winner. I have never known of two candidates who have had such polar opposite viewpoints on so many topics that are important to the general public. I mean, you expect that they will not see eye to eye on some things. What a terrible thing it would be to agree with your opponent, or to have some sort of harmony in government! How dare they!! But these things are big issues that each is using as a gateway attempt to get more votes: abortion, gay marriage, healthcare, immigration, etc. They are not just feeling opposite things. They are firmly standing on their views and are trying to drag people into the voting booths based on these "promises for a better four years." This election will mean a lot.
As a Baha'i, I am not supposed to participate in partisan politics. To me, this means, "Do not blindly vote for a specific party; vote for a person. Have no specific affiliation to a political party. Find a candidate whose views you agree with and vote for him/her. If that means voting for a Republican when you think your views are more closely aligned with Democrats typically, then you vote for that Republican because you believe the PERSON is the best choice. And keep it private."
“It remains for the individuals to so use their right to
vote as to keep aloof from party politics, and always bear in mind that they
are voting on the merits of the individual, rather than because he belongs to
one party or another.”
-Lights of Guidance, p. 441
We are also not supposed to speak of politics unless we are being positive. There is to be no degradation of individuals in government. This is usually hard, but we are human. We are not flawless. We can only attempt these things, knowing that God knows we are trying. So I will not be using this entry to pick a candidate (too late anyway. My absentee ballot was sent in WEEKS ago), or to berate a candidate or his followers. I will not even use their names.
“Speak thou no word of politics; thy task concerneth the
life of the soul, for this verily leadeth to man’s joy in the world of God.
Except to speak well of them, make thou no mention of the earth’s kings, and
the worldly governments thereof. Rather, confine thine utterance to spreading the blissful tidings of the Kingdom of God, and demonstrating the influence of
the Word of God, and the holiness of the Cause of God.”
-Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha,
p. 92
Instead, I will use this entry to state an observation.
I have been in a few situations in just the last two weeks when, once the individual in question realized that I am American (because apparently my accent is not as obvious as I have always thought it was), I would be asked what I thought of a certain candidate (the same each time). And before I stated my opinion, the person would say, "Good grief with that man!" or "You should just stay here if he is elected!" or "He drives me crazy. He is always lying!"
I just found it so interesting because it was consistent across the board. And because they were so forceful and adamant about it. They were completely sure about their opinions on something that had nothing to do with them.
But it does.
What happens in one country affects every country, whether it is because jobs are or are not outsourced to other countries; because there are more or less imports/exports; because people want to get the hell out of the States and overflow another country's job market, or because people want to go to the States and it has become easier or harder to do so.
“The international laws of today are of vast importance, for
as international politics bring nations nearer to one another- and thus promote
a bond of oneness which acts as a magnet to attract the divine
confirmations-the results and benefits are limitless.”
-Abdu’l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p.142
Here, people are going to college and there are no jobs when they are finished. There are actually programs that help them move to Australia. I have seen advertisements on buses, and when Irish rugby teams play in Australia, it is like a home game because there are so many Irish people there. Husband called it the Irish's USA of the '80s. Where will all of the Americans move if the candidate they cannot live under becomes the President that they must respect (but will not)? Well, they will not respect him, that is for sure. Maybe they will join the crowd waiting for the sheep to pass. Or maybe they will just kill the sheep that get in the their way.
I know what I will be doing: trying to snuggle the sheep.
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