I am not particularly fond of politics. It is usually one of the three topics that I try to avoid talking to people about (the other two being religion and sex) because I find that many seem to define themselves by it and immediately jump into an arguing, defending mode.
I prefer to talk about their ideas, their family, their dreams and what they love to do. Politics, religion and sex often trigger a preset collection of prejudices. And I find that we already make judgments about people too easily for such topics to add another stamp on someone before we really get to know them.
However, in one week is election day. Communal and European elections. I must admit that I have so far never voted in my life. I am Dutch but don’t live in the Netherlands. Voting is not mandatory there, so I figured ‘why go through all the hassle and paperwork for a country I do not live in?’.
And living in Luxembourg as a foreigner I had no right to vote for communal elections. That has changed some time ago. Now the law says that you have to live here for 5 years in order to vote. And strangely you only have to live here for 6 months in order to become a candidate yourself.
So I am voting for both on Sunday June 7th. I have been listening to the parties’ messages and debates and it just confirms what I was already thinking:
Most of them are FIGHTING AGAINST THE OTHERS much more than FIGHTING FOR THEIR CAUSE. It seems to become such a personal Ego war and I get the feeling that they forget that they are supposed to do this for the us not themselves.
So I have made up my decision and I will vote green. I am not saying these people are not in it for the ego. But at least they are fighting for things that interest all parties and all people in some way or another.
I vote green, because I think it’s nice to have a job, a good health care system or well organised public transportation. There will be enough people voting the parties who lobby for these things.
But if the planet is dying there is no more room for any of that. I am usually a ‘people first’ person. I will give to a charity that supports the lives of people before giving money to animal rights for example. In this case, I feel that fighting for the planet concerns us all.
And if I can give my tiny vote to participate in making our planet a better place, then that’s what I’ll do.
Thanks for this post. I’ve definitely found myself trying to turn conversations away from politics and current events as well, because those subjects seem to deprive me of the opportunity to be with the person in front of me. Instead, I start hearing their understanding of a party line or position — their repetition of what someone else has told them — or at least that’s how it occurs to me.
: Thanks for visiting. That is exactly it isn't it? Unless they voice their own opinion about a matter at heart, it seems just to be a copied speech. And many people tend to become very patriotic which I do not like very much.