Hope – When It’s Time to Vote

Elections, elections everywhere. If you live in certain parts of Canada or in America right now, it’s full throttle election season. It’s evident everywhere. So many places are talking about elections, even if there isn’t one announced yet. Cough, cough, federally in Canada. 😉

For a self-proclaimed political nerd like myself, elections are like Christmas. Much anticipated and a very good reason to stay up late waiting for the results (I’m already planning my snacks for the provincial election in 2 weeks). Waiting for the writ to drop increases the anticipation. For anyone outside of the commonwealth or Canada wanting more info about the what exactly is a writ and just how does it drop, here is a brief intro for you.

Sometimes election results are like getting a Christmas present you don’t want or like. But it’s practical and good for you. Ugghhh, socks!! That’s one way I would classify Canadians electing our former Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. He wasn’t the most exciting or charismatic leader but Canada was quite a strong, stable and safe place to live during the Harper years. You could classify Harper as black, durable and reliable socks. But if you happen to run in to him, don’t tell him I used that analogy.

Some other elections have results like that much anticipated, exciting Christmas present. The one you wouldn’t call boring or practical. They can be all sparkly and shiny initially, but very soon loose it’s lustre and you want a change or something new.

I promise this whole post isn’t all about my excitement for elections. But have no doubt, I could write a post just about that for sure!!

One thing I have personally found to be a current struggle, is the attitude of so many I speak with. So many have very little hope for the way things are going right now. Which in so many ways, is an understandable place to be in.

Our lives have changed so dramatically in the past 10 years and absolutely in the past 5 years. Even related to how much information we have and how much access we have to information, thanks to social media. Also the implementation of 24 hour news cycle has greatly affected us. We consume so much information all day long, it absolutely will affect us.

The past 4 years have greatly changed our worlds. I regularly speak with people who say they didn’t even know anything about a certain topic or a current event before now. What was happening in so many areas around them, they just weren’t paying attention.

So many of us have been privileged to go through much of our lives in peace, stability and comfort. Those things have lulled us into a peaceful slumber. Slumber about what is happening around us locally, regionally and in various parts of the world. So we just weren’t aware.

It can feel like our lives are like snow globes. Things were peaceful, clear and unobstructed for a period of time. And now chaos is reigning. Our lives are now, like upended snow globes that are like a blizzard. We may not feel like we can even see or understand things at arms reach from us.

That is a crippling place to be in. Emotionally sitting in that place can strip away hope. Leave you feeling hopeless.

Oh friend that is a difficult place to dwell in. Losing the perspective about what hope there is, can be crushing. Emotionally, spiritually, mentally and even physically. Wouldn’t that be enough reason to search for hope? Even a small thread? But not unrealistic hope which could be defeated later.

During election seasons, we are thrown so much data, polls, information, stats, speeches., advertisements, attack ads, opinions and on and on. Plus having to decide who to vote for. No doubt keeping a clear head during these days becomes more difficult. It’s so hard to even know who or what to believe. So many just consider all politicians crooks. Understandable in some ways, and more legitimate at certain times, but fundamentally not helpful.

I see so many things to be hopeful and grateful about, right now. Yes today. Just the fact that we live in a place that has elections that we can participate in. We get to go out and vote. That is a reason for hope.

It’s pretty clear, at least here in North America, Canada and Saskatchewan, that more people are paying more attention, learning more, asking more questions and holding more leaders to account. I think this election cycle is swinging the pendulum back the other way, at least a little bit. Both above the 49th parallel and below.

If your hope lies in all negative, bad or destructive things being blown away in one fall swoop, you will likely always be disappointed. If you can find hope in the small, incremental progress that happens towards resetting bad systems or holding systems to account, that is success. I know, I know, we want things to happen in big ways and all at once.

But friend that probably won’t happen. We need to see the things that provide hope right now. This fall in Saskatchewan, we have 2 planned elections within 3 weeks of each other. Provincial and municipal. Yes we do these separately. Plus if rumblings from the Ottawa bubble can be believed, we could have a federal election before or after Christmas. 😬

So if there are 3 elections in that short of a time, election fatigue will be high, but we all need to hang in. Have hope about what is happening and what will happen. The result of these elections aren’t the end of the journey. There is hope for the result of the vote and hope for the days after no matter the result.

Friend, hope doesn’t radiate only about the elections, I have just used that to focus on. There are so many other things going on which provide so much hope. I encourage you to seek them out. What positive things do you see in your community, your social circle, your work place, your family, etc?

This could even be from having that person who you thought would always argue with you about that one thing, now be willing to have a discussion with you and listen more openly to another opinion. That is progress. Depending on who it is, that could be enormous progress. I think it takes much more work to find hope, than to settle in despair. Be willing to do the work, friend.

So as we carry on through the election seasons, I challenge you to seek the hope in those seasons. What silver linings can you find? I’m praying that you might find more things to be encouraged and hopeful about in these challenging times.

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