Until Nov. 4 we will be bombarded with news, talking points, opinion polls and advertisement from candidates. Each will be attempting to influence your vote. Some attempts will be subtle, while others will be direct. While one ad prays upon your fears, the next enflames your anger.
I am not telling you who to vote for, and I am not going to use this forum to support any candidate. I believe that each of you is intelligent enough to research the facts and draw your own conclusions. However, I will ask that you do not leave your conscience at home when you go to vote. It does not matter if you are conservative, liberal or somewhere in-between. What does matter is that you vote from the only place in which you can trust and rely upon -- your conscience.
We hear many things being said in the media and at the water cooler. We struggle to understand and apply what we hear to our own beliefs, but deep down inside we are able to discern the truth. All of us have the ability to recognize truth when we hear it. Then we are able to compare how closely the candidates are to our own values and beliefs.
For example, I measure people by their character and integrity. Regardless of what they tell me, I look to see if their life is in step with their words. I attempt to discover the person behind the speech and talking point. Action demonstrates a person's intent much more clearly than anything they may say. Promises can be made, but cannot be trusted as an indicator of future action.
History is very telling. Some old sayings still ring true today -- "Show me your friends and I will know who you are," "You are today what you have been becoming," "Integrity is defined by what you do when no one is looking," "Character is defined by the choices you make when you have nothing to gain and everything to lose." Who you vote for will be a direct reflection of who you are.
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A vote for a candidate is a public acknowledgement of your agreement with their beliefs, morals, ethics and values. You will never be ashamed of whom you voted for, and you will never question if you voted the right way if you vote from your conscience. Your conscience is who you really are. If you take your conscience with you to vote, you will vote based upon the issues that you value rather than those the media and candidates want you to focus on. When we vote our conscience, elections become truly representative of our hopes, dreams, values, morals and ethics.
This November, we will have an opportunity to stand up for what we believe and create a government that we deserve. In the end, we will have no one to blame but ourselves if we are dissatisfied with the outcome.
