“Voting is not only our right—it is our power.”— Loung Ung
It’s voting season in the USA, and on Sunday, our family went together to vote.
We stood in line for about an hour, which was not nearly as long as people have waited in New York City and elsewhere. I was glad to see the large turnout. I was happy for my youngest, voting for the first time, to experience the energy of this line of people exercising their right to vote.
The time in line gave us a chance to pause and reflect.
I thought about how more participation, along with more listening, leads to better governance. I have served as the president of our small village of 100 households for over a decade. I have learned a great deal from this level of local work. I learned more about governance from practical experience than from any book I have ever read.
Our village community operates by consensus rather than majority rule. The experience I have had has shown me that working to reach consensus through listening and merging ideas leads to better decisions. The best decisions are based on principles, values, and the earnest desire to make the community’s decisions work for the whole.
As I stood in line, I realized three important things about voting for us to consider.
- Vote for the direction you personally believe is better for our governance.
- Regardless of how others in your community voted, listen to them. Specifically, listen to their values and ideas.
- If others have a hard time making it out to vote or a difficult time believing that their input matters, see if you can lend a hand.
These thoughts can apply whenever you have the opportunity to make choices that affect your community. Remember that there is much more that joins us than separates us. Let’s work together.
Yours in the calm pursuit of excellence,
Alan Willett
