Why Americans don't vote

The reasons why many Americans in the United States are not active in political elections are many and are complex. A good portion of young Americans are disillusioned with the false promises and lack of ethics of most of today’s politicians and that turns them off altogether about politics. Politicians are salespersons. Most salespersons are required to stretch the truth about their product, if they want to make a sale it is true that in our everyday lives and in different degrees we are all required to use salesmanship skills. We all have something that we want to sell. We want to sell our boss on our talents or skills. We want to sell our neighbors on our friendliness and reliability. We want to sell our Saturday evening date on our charisma and, if we should get a chance, on our lover skills. Almost everything that we do the style of clothes we wear, the model of car we own, our mannerisms and behavior is all carefully selected to sell ourselves, to attract the opposite sex, to increase our income or just to be more popular. It is also true that these are part of the survival skills one needs to live in a world where only the fittest survive. Having said that, we need to pause and examine the salesmanship with the degree of lying and misrepresentation in which today’s average politician engages. It’s almost as if politicians were a different species—one that thrives in cheating and conniving as a way of life—the only way of life they know. This may be a cynic’s view of the world, but it is a view which I, as a young American, share with others of my generation. In addition to not trusting politicians, many young Americans don’t vote because they can’t relate as well to others who have a big age difference. Age difference determines, in great part, the way you view life. For example, politicians are given to making plans about the future, while younger Americans live in the present and don’t necessary think about the future. It all boils down to young Americans asking: what can you do for me today. Young Americans have grown up in a world of instant gratification. We’ve grown up with the Internet and the wisdom of Google and Wikipedia at our fingertips; we have virtual reality to run to if reality sucks; we are interconnected and plugged in 24/7--we want everything instantly. We don’t use the Yellow Pages, we don’t spread out a map; we don’t go hunting for a public phone; we don’t have to buy records or CD’s to hear our favorite tunes. With a click of a button we get all the answers and entertainment we want and feel self-sufficient. Most politicians cannot relate to this new way of life which technology has brought about. They do not share youth’s enthusiasm for these gadgets nor do they understand the inborn impatience in youth which has come about from living in this fast age of technology. Finally, I think there is a third important reason why young Americans don’t vote: peer-induced apathy--when someone in a group voices the opinion that their vote doesn’t really count. This works like a fast-spreading epidemic because all that is needed for it to spread is to voice the opinion in a small gathering of people. I recall my first year in college when I would hear my peers say: “it is only one vote; it doesn’t make a difference at all.” I happen to think that this is a mistake. Power still comes from numbers in this country and young adults, like any other group, have the potential to influence the outcome of elections. It is important to understand that by not voting one is giving away one’s power to someone else. And since, more often than not, in politics decisions are made that impact your life and also the lives of your loved ones, it is extremely important to have your say.

To resolve the issue of young American not voting it would be imperative to impress on young Americans first, the value of their individual vote and, second, their responsibility to their nation. It wouldn’t hurt if politicians cleaned up their act, worked diligently and honestly for the people, and made a serious attempt to connect with the younger generations. If politicians are to be trusted, they need to stop peddling lies and selling false hope and truly get on with the business of leading us and forging our nation ahead. Also, young Americans need to do their part. They have to be more open minded and more engaged with the issues we have in our country. They need to put an end to apathy and not fall prey to cynics in their mist. After all, young Americans are the future leaders of our country.

Caring Man

“The Guest” by Albert Camus is a short story with three characters: Daru, Balducci and the Arab, each of whom represents a different human value. The character that interests me the most is Daru , a schoolmaster who stands out for his compassion toward humans and animals alike. From the start of the story Daru exhibits a solid moral code which allows him to be forgiving of and compassionate with the Arab, his cousin’s killer, who is also now a prisoner. Daru has no fear of the killer, and is willing to stand up to Balducci and disobey his order because he knows that what Balducci is asking him to do is wrong. In making a larger meal and feeding the Arab, Daru is going against the conventional wisdom and code of ethics which would require him to be unmerciful to his cousin’s killer. Not caring about what others may think or whether they may chastise him for his merciful behavior towards a killer, Daru seems sure of what he does. He has solid convictions and is not afraid to act according to them. I believe there is, potentially, a Daru in all us. In the world in which we live, we all run across situations when our core values are tested. I know that to be the case with me. Often I find myself in Daru-type situations when, I too, want to do a good deed and not just for the purpose of getting recognition from others, although that too is nice to get, but rather to help a fellow human being in need. The difference between Daru and I is that Daru acts on his convictions without hesitating. I, on the other hand, am afraid of unwarranted consequences. After all, good deed shall go unpunished.

Self-Discovery

Phil’s process of self-discovery contrasts to my own in the way it was brought about; but it also mirrors my self-discovery in the end result. Phil was a confident person whose peers questioned his attitude and behavior but not his ability. His process of self-discovery came about from his reliving the same day over and over. Knowing that the next day would be the same, Phil could afford to take extreme risks. After all, he had nothing to lose. Towards the end of the movie, Phil made a significant change in himself; from being a selfish person he became a caring and passionate man who helped the less fortune.

My own self-discovery, on the other hand, unfolded in a different way. To begin with, it was not my attitude and behavior which were questioned by my peers, but rather my aptitude and abilities. I did not have Phil’s advantage of reliving the same day over and over and, thus, could not see and learn from my previous mistakes. Instead, my self-discovery involved other people giving me support and positive feedback in my long journey to enlightenment. I came out of my cave with the help others gave me and that, in itself, changed my outlook of life. Today there are still those who doubt me, perhaps there always will be, but my reaction to what they say about me is now different. I now thrive on proving my naysayers wrong every chance I get. This much I know: I might not be the smartest or the fastest, but I am the most stubborn. And in that stubborness, I believe, lies my biggest strength, for it will not allow me to abandon my goals.
In the end, I believe, Phil and I are both better men because of our long journeys. In that respect, Phil’s self-discovery mirrors my own.

seeing the light

In Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” a prisoner, bonded with chains, escapes his bondage and slowly adjusts to the light until he sets himself free. Much like that prisoner, I too, had been bonded and in the shadows for most of my life. Since I was a child, people have always underestimated me as a person and have underestimated my capabilities. It has always been a struggle for me having to hear from people, mostly strangers, what I can and cannot do. Sometimes when you hear the same message over and over again, it becomes a reality and you start questioning yourself, losing your self-confidence and, ultimately, lowering your goals in life. I’ve been told from childhood into adulthood that I’m not smart enough, not strong enough, not fast enough; that I’m just a member of a worthless minority class and that I would not accomplish anything worthwhile in my life. My bondage came about from believing people’s negative opinions of me. During middle school and high school I let myself fall in the clutch of evil puppeteers and, as a result, my self-confidence was very low and I had no aspirations to do well in school. I now know that the negative comments I heard about me played a major role in my formative years . Psychologically, I was beaten so bad, that my only goal during those years was to survive my daily bondage during school hours and do my best to get home to my grandfather’s loving and supportive embrace.

I started to see the light towards the end of my high school years when, after a long and painful process of soul searching, I began to believe that I was capable of accomplishment. Of course, this did not happen overnight, nor did I see the light all by myself. Rather, I had a lot of help from people I met in high school and whom I now call my friends. These people were very patient with me as I built up my confidence one step at a time . They shone on me the bright light of their friendship and I was able to pull myself out of the dark and find the path to enlightenment.

I still find those who doubt me, but my approach to what they say about me is now different. Since my first day in college I’ve thrived on proving my naysayers wrong every day that passes by. This much I know: I might not be the smartest or the fastest, but I am the most stubborn. And there, I believe, lies my biggest strength, for I will not abandon my goals; I will not give up. I will show the world that I can do anything I propose to do and I will compensate with effort and hard work any of my shortcomings. I am greatly inspired by Einstein’s own definition of what is genius. He said: “Genius is ninety percent perspiration, and ten percent inspiration.” If that is marginally true, then, there is plenty of hope for me.

The Hard Truth

I learned at an early age the freedom and satisfaction one can experience from truth. When I was in the fourth grade an incident took place which I believe changed me from an outspoken extrovert into a shy and withdrawn child. One day, immediately after my last class, I ran to the school bus so that I would be the first person on the bus. My eagerness had to do with getting home soon and not missing my favorite cartoons. As usual, I sat next to a window and looked out all during the bus ride, entertained by the life outside. When the driver approached Dolores Park, she suddenly stopped by an apartment which was next to a butcher shop on San Jose Avenue and 30th Street. She then opened the school bus door and let in a man. From that moment on, a drama ensued as the bus driver and her friend started yelling at each other. Soon the screaming turned into physical violence. The man first shook the bus driver by her shoulders then he hit her and spat on her face. I was sitting only three rows behind and could hear loud and clear the words spoken and the sounds they made. My initial thought was that the man was going to kill my bus driver and I would never get home on time for my favorite cartoon. However, that thought lasted no more than a minute as I became fearful that the man would also come after me. Isn’t that what always happens? Murderers get rid of all eye-witnesses. Paralized by fear, I managed enough strength to slide further down in the seat, and did my very best to become invisible. When I got home I had forgotten to watch my favorite cartoon and instead I went to bed, hoping to forget what happened on the bus. Once in bed, a mixture of emotions overcame me. I felt like an accomplice of the man for not having said or done anything in defense of the woman bus driver. I knew then, I would go to jail. I also felt like a coward. I had seen bullies in the school yard and always thought that, when confronted by the sight of one bullying someone else, I would intervene in defense of the victim, but that had not happened on the bus. I then thought I would have to move to another city to escape the murderer or the police, but I was too young to have any money and go anywhere on my own.

Besides, how would I leave my mother and grandfather? For the next two years I lived in hiding and in extreme fear of being found out by the man who, surely, wanted to kill me. I stopped going out to play and became sullen and withdrawn. Even though I tried very hard to forget about it, I could not. One day, I summoned all the courage I had and I finally told my mom and grandfather. As I finished recounting the story I felt an almost instantaneous sense of well-being, as if a great weight, which I had been lugging around, had been lifted off my shoulders. Soon after I forgot entirely about the incident and it is not until now, many years after, that I think of it again.

Telling the truth truly set me free. Ever since that moment I try to be honest and truthful with every person I meet.