With Great Power...

Well, you know the rest - the "great responsibility" part. The whole Spiderman thing. But, honestly, Ben Parker was not wrong when he said that. (Or when Stan Lee came up with it - either way.) This world has seen far too many examples of an abuse of power - or worse, a neglect of power.

You might be wondering about who has ever neglected power that they possessed or were offered. That's impossible. Everyone wants to have power so that they can exercise it. But, the neglect of power that I'm referring to happens every voting day.

I have a few friends that have either not ever registered to vote or registered and never voted, although they both plan to this year. One of them claimed that, just as it was his right to vote, it was also his right to not vote. No offense to him, but that statement never sat right with me. I could never vocalize why until we were discussing it again last night. I had a flat, unconvincing argument that was the basic idea of my view on the matter of voting, but it was a thin argument at best.

So, thanks to him, I started to really think about it in depth. And I finally began to pull together my thoughts on the idea.

I have always been taught and have always understood that voting is a privilege, a responsibility, to be taken seriously, to be protected, and to be appreciated. Voting may be a right in that it is protected by the laws of the land, but, as we have seen in our own history and the history of the world, rights can be taken away if the people are not careful.

America was founded as a government "of the people, by the people, for the people." It was something that men fought and died for - something that they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to. With that in my mind, I tried never to take for granted the rights that they framed and passed down for me, the right to vote included. I have tried for years to understand why they did what they did and why they selected the rights to specifically enumerate in the Constitution. Therefore, I have always tried to understand modern government and politics and to vote accordingly - something that I believed was a priority for every citizen.

In America, we enjoy such rare freedom. Not everywhere can the citizens hold rallies or petition the government or to print what they wish to say. They are not allowed to keep and bear arms; they are not allowed to hold private property; they are not allowed to have a speedy trial by a jury of their peers. Some countries don't even have elections. And, if they do, sometimes they are mock elections with only one person on the ballot or with coercion and intimidation to vote for the "right" candidate.

Why, then, would we as Americans who enjoy vast amounts of freedom neglect what keeps us free? Would we want to turn into a North Korea or an Iran? Would we allow ourselves to devolve into despotism?

Last night, as I was considering the difference between the right to vote and the responsibility to vote, I made a connection between this and the idea of parental rights. When a parent signs away their parental rights to a child, they sign away not only all responsibility but all right of interference. That parent is still biologically linked to the child and always will be. However, without their parental rights, they have no authority to dictate how the child is raised or treated or taught. They have forfeited their rights.

As citizens, we are the parents of America, and voting is our parental right. It is how we dictate how America is raised, treated, and taught. It is our involvement in how it grows. But, if we forfeit our right by not voting, we then have no authority to interfere in how America is governed. We lose our right to be angry about how things have changed or have been handled. We lose our right to be involved, and America is shaped by those that have shouldered their responsibility.

In both cases, the difference between right and responsibility is slim at best. To me, there is no difference. Yes, exercising your right means that you have a responsibility, but, if you want to have any authority to be involved, you have to accept that responsibility. In voting, this responsibility means being informed on issues and candidates as well as voting according to your own conscience.

Tomorrow is a voting day for many of Americans. No one can make you vote; no one can make you be informed. That falls to you alone. Yes, you certainly have the freedom to neglect your power, but you subsequently have to no right to be upset with the outcome. If you forfeit your responsibility, you also sign away all authority to intervene. Choose wisely.

In 1787, after the Constitutional Convention had concluded, Benjamin Franklin left Independence Hall and was confronted by a citizen eager to know the fate of the young country. She asked Mr. Franklin what kind of government the convention had agreed upon. Knowing the responsibility that was to fall on the shoulders of every citizen, old Benjamin Franklin replied, "A republic - if you can keep it."



Quick acknowledgements: a special thanks to my friends Ashley Cutshaw and Andrew Shea for making me think about why voting is so important and for teaching me how to vocalize it. It has been an important journey for me, and it never would have begun if not for you.