Voting for the Hand We Were Dealt

Photo by Tiffany Tertipes on Unsplash

We are exactly three weeks away from election day. As a Chicana woman who is immune compromised, the amount of fear I feel from the decision that is to be made is… indescribable. It is also inexcusable. The position of instability that all marginalized people have been put in by those in power, is reprehensible. Although we did not come here overnight, we are at a crossroads. And although 2020 has been wrought with tragedy, it has also provided 20/20 vision. The truths, people, and systems so long ignored by society now reside in the spotlight of our media. It is with this awareness that we must do the best we can with what we have.

Voting is not like making a wish list for Santa; getting exactly what you want is not an option. Voting is more like poker. You make an educated decision based on the hand you were dealt. We need to reckon with the hand we were dealt, in the hope of creating a better future for all. 

We need to stop viewing each other as opponents, but as human beings. Humans who ultimately, will only survive if we can ban together and stop villainizing each other. Humans by and large, are inherently good. No matter where you come from or what you do, humans view themselves as the heroes of their own story. While that hero may become skewed into a tragic hero, a mundane hero, or a self-sacrificing hero, the point is that most of us try to do what we feel is right. However, we can only base this decision on the world we have seen through our own eyes. 

The issue this presents when voting, especially when voting in an election as critical as this one, is that we must disentangle ourselves from our storylines in order to genuinely consider what is best for everyone, not just what is best for the privileged few. The few who have healthy bodies, who have access to health care, who have a stable income, the few who are not targeted because of the color of their skin, or their country of citizenship. This is much to consider. However, if you have not lived a life where you were targeted for these characteristics, it seems the lesser of the two struggles to take them into consideration when voting. 

We are at a crossroads, an undoubtably historical moment in time. We are debating the non-negotiables of human rights, safety, health and fundamentally, existence. If I can persuade you to do anything, it is my hope that I persuade you to consider what would be best for those whose basic human right to existence is on the line. We must do this, so someday our grandchildren may sit in a classroom and learn of a legacy YOU helped to shape so they will not feel shame but pride in the courage it took to change the tide and change ourselves.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash