Throughout this election season, the attributes of presidential candidates have been discussed and dissected. Are they honest? Are they intelligent? Are they competent? Are they good leaders?
Such questions are important and help us decide whom we should vote for. Missing in this discourse, however, has been a discussion about what attributes voters themselves should display when they go to the polls tomorrow.
In an era of intense polarization, one value most of all appears to be lacking in the electorate — courage.
Ask many voters today what they think of the election, and the likely response is one of dismay and dejection. Voters on the left and on right feel that they have been left with poor choices, that the political system has left them behind, or that whoever is president makes no meaningful difference in their lives.
Although this feeling is understandable, it has unfortunately lead this group of people to stay home on Election Day, to forgo their duty to vote and retreat from the political fray. They may feel that they are bucking the system or are taking the honorable, valiant path in doing this.
Eventually, however, what happens politically affects us in one way or another. The question we must ask ourselves is whether we will be caught up in the consequences as idle bystanders, or if we will take a stand and support a candidate. We must not be afraid to take up this duty.
Another sizable portion of the electorate may vote for one of the two major candidates, but will be doing so out of fear, or out of pressure. Political polarization has reached the point that many voters may like a certain candidate, but are afraid to vote for him or her for fear of backlash from friends or neighbors of different political persuasions.
This lack of courage to disagree politely with our fellow countrymen, and have a stake in our political future, is a cancer on our democracy. It cedes the political arena to extremists, fosters resentment and further polarizes our politics.
However dangerous cowardice may be to our politics, though, it has a simple remedy: courage. Americans must exercise it, or they will lose control of their own futures, and further delve our politics into chaos. This change can only occur if good Americans choose to enter the political fray.
As Theodore Roosevelt put it, “it is not the critic who counts,” but rather “the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood.” Such a man may fail, but he at least has the courage to face the battles and challenges of his time and strives for and has a stake in a better version of his country.
This Election Day, let courage guide our votes. Let us decide what type of country we want to live in and which candidate best exemplifies our values. Then let us stand by our convictions, explain our stances to those who disagree with them and face the consequences. Let us have the courage to enter the political arena.
