| Voting with Your Guts Ellen W. Horowitz January 18, 2003 When I lived in America, voting was considered a sort of private, almost sacred matter. If, per chance, someone would ask me, "Who are you voting for?" , it was not considered out of place or impolite (even by American standards) to respond, "None of your business." But here in Israel, it's everybodys' business. People don¹t even ask you- they tell you! "Nu, you are going to vote for such and such a party, right?" But, although I¹m the first person to jump into the fray and express my opinion, I still hold that voting is a sacred responsibility and private matter -especially in this seemingly irreverent election. There are an infinite number of electoral scenarios, ranging from "catastrophic" to "not that terrible" (none of them are "good"), being flung at us by the media, sundry ³experts², pollsters and the parties themselves. Add to this the well known factor that for every two Jews there are three opinions, and multiply by the number of eligible Israeli voters. That¹s more electoral possibilities and combinations than the total number of stars in the heavens and sands on the seashore. The Israeli electorate is indeed perplexed. But this is where the sacred part comes in. Everybody is afraid of wasting their vote. G-d forbid that our efforts should be wasted or that we should make the wrong choice! Now this is a very beautiful thing. In spite of the corruption, scandals and overall bleak-looking Israeli democratic scene, the Jewish People still take their obligations seriously. Imbedded in our psyche is that ever-present, anxiety-ridden knowledge that our future and the future of our children is at stake. So what do you do when the political situation transcends all logic and is so chaotic that it befuddles our G-d given intellect? Well, you could go with you G-d given heart. Call it intuition, instinct, guts or soul, but we¹ve all got it, and in confusing times like these, it¹s best to go with it. But what if, due to life¹s pressures and pace, you can¹t find it? Close yourself in a dark, quiet room for a few hours. Try and clear your head by listening to the sound of silence. If you¹re lucky, you can almost hear the voices of the past reminding you of your commitments. If you¹re really successful, then you¹ll emerge from that room with astounding clarity and purpose. But you¹re not finished yet, as it's back to reality and your heart tells you that, on election day, you still have to make an intelligent decision. And this is what's known as basic "common sense". You've just cleared your mind from unnecessary clutter, so that you can find your heart. And now that you¹ve unblocked your heart, you¹re able to think with clarity. It¹s an amazing process and the best thing is that you don't have to listen to all of those "experts" any longer. So, on election day, go behind that curtain or partition, close you eyes for a few seconds and when you open them take a deep breath and vote. When you drop that envelope in the box, pray that your vote won¹t be wasted. And you will have just fulfilled a sacred obligation. ----- Ellen lives in the Golan Heights with her husband and six children. She is a painter and writer. ilan-acu@netvision.net.il |
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