One Simple Act

Yesterday, one day after election day, I found myself looking for the telltale indelible ink on the fingers of the people I encountered. Sadly, most of the people I saw had clean fingers. It disheartened me because it meant that only a few people voted last May 14.

Wait. Scrap "disheartened." I was annoyed. It irked me even more so when I heard my boss criticizing the senators who've made it to the "Magic 12" in the unofficial results. "Ano ba naman ang magagawan nun?" "Puro tanga nanaman ang mamamahala satin." "Walang magbabago sa sistema natin." All that after I heard him say (loudly and proudly) that he wasn't going to vote "kasi para san pa? Mangungurakot at mangungurakot rin ang mga yan."

Ugh. I want to smack him on the head.

While he's saying all of the statements above, I am thinking "Puro tanga ang mamamahala satin kasi marami ring tanga (tulad mo) na walang ginawa para baguhin yon." Nakakainis.

Another post-election incident: I was talking to one of my officemates yesterday about the candidates we voted for. Another officemate of ours passed by (swaggered, is more like it), smirked at us, and proclaimed "wala talaga akong pakialam."

Kung puwede ko lang sha sakalin.

* * * *

I expected the youth - our hope for the future - to be all gung-ho about voting. Sadly, most of the young people (teka, considered as "youth" pa ba ako? Haha.) are the ones who are apathetic. I hear them echoing the statements made by the older, more mature people - "Wala namang kuwenta voting system dito sa Pilipinas. Mangdadaya lang yan. Bakit pa kami boboto?"

I know a lot of people who didn't vote. Some, because they weren't able to register. Others, because they didn't want to register. The rest, because they just didn't care. In this day and age, apathy is becoming the most-used excuse. Now that the world is becoming smaller because of technology; now that social problems aren't showing any signs of decreasing; now that we have more opportunities to be educated...Now isn't the time to be detached from everything else. We cannot claim that we are not informed, because the cold, harsh truths are staring at us everywhere we go.

I admit that I am not the most knowledgeable person out there, especially about politics and social issues. But I recognize that for change to occur, I am required to take action. One simple act makes a much clearer statement, and creates more opportunity for change, than not doing anything at all.

Voting is one such act that can initiate change. It is our right. It is our choice. It can change the world, if you believe in it enough.

"I think, therefore I vote." It makes a clear statement that voting takes an initiative to think, and therefore, to act and make a difference.