Do voters feel intelligent, informed and incredibly scared in this election year? In emergencies, we can freeze, faint, succumb to fear, or get a grip on our fear in hopes of actual survival. Inaction can seal our fate. Fear can make our “lizard” brains kick in, longing for a “strong man” who, by brute force, will protect us and single-handedly put our house in order.
How comforting that would be, if the price were not so high. We are not cave-dwellers in a simplistic world. Today’s complex challenges require compromise, consensus and commitment, things that are rarely tolerated by powerful “strong man” archetypes.
Differing views on the path forward aside, I believe one thing is for sure – we cannot let fear or inaction drive us to the false security of a dark cave ruled by one who roars loudly and carries a big stick, and is intent on curtailing personal freedoms. We cannot shackle and limit our children and grandchildren by taking the tools that democracy provides out of their hands to deal with a future we cannot fully comprehend.
Voters should talk to their families, friends and neighbors about the importance of their critical vote to uphold our democracy. Like the water that melted the witch of “Oz” and the simple act that exposed the frightened little man behind the curtain, desperately trying to maintain secrecy and create fake “miracles,” democracy can wither the strongest of “strong men.” But only if we vote for it.
Jane Card
Kennebunk
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