“Increase in campus bike theft leads to squirrels … er, squirrels proven to be leading cause in blackmail, cheating, wait, no…”
I don’t want to write another column about what I’m going to do to your firstborn if you don’t vote yes on the newest state measure to end self-inflicted handgun fatalities among quails. Save the quails, or I’ll shoot you in the face! My roommates and their squirrel plagiarism ring are not much help.
Political issues are surely abounding in this time of immense political hubbub, but I cannot get excited about another round of attacks between supporters of this white guy vs. this white guy. Everyone is saying the same thing, especially the candidates themselves: Vote this way or die. The presidential election has instilled an unfortunate sense of dread in voters, trying to sway them with a doctrine of fear. Bush has summed up his campaign by “saying he was the best man to keep the nation safe from terrorists,” according to a recent Associated Press article.
Perhaps it’s idealistic, but I expect that guarding the lives of Americans should be an essential undertone in political decisions, rather than the one, overarching plan of government. I can pretty much assume that John Kerry isn’t going to hand this country over to extremist terrorists on a silver platter either. Yet, it is these blanket statements that propel U.S. citizens to vote out of fear rather than because of political and social beliefs.
It is moments like these that truly make me remember the importance of my ideals and political actions — where I stop being a concerned American citizen or an ardent feminist, a student with too much homework or running late on my column. Here, I am just a person, sitting back and enjoying the breaths I inhale and the taste of water in my mouth. I don’t worry about death, I worry about life, and it is here that I think we all find a superb level of happiness, and more importantly a sublime satisfaction.
I do not want to vote out of fear for my own life; I want to vote out of realization that some people do not have the opportunity to find this peace that I am lucky enough to hold onto, if even for a split second. I am a woman who is socially allowed to explore herself in every way, already a step up from most of my gender throughout the world; I am part of a minority religion allowed to live in peace; I am a young person allowed the opportunity of education. It is these freedoms that I am slowly coming to realize I cherish more than the idea of simply staying alive.
So, take a few deep breaths when the final candidate is announced. Maybe it’s not your first choice, second, or even third. Remember: World change comes from within. It’s time for everyone to take a break from living so strongly for the idea of tomorrow and ending today with fear of what is to come rather than exuberance in the moment.

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