The Vote

 Well, good afternoon.  The primary elections are over, at least until next time.  I hope you voted, if you were eligible to do so.  I don’t know who you may have voted for, and besides, it’s none of my business.  The ballot is one of the most cherished parts of living in this society, and frankly is one of the last places where one’s private business truly is private.

It seems that we’re being tracked, traced, and pumped for information pretty much with everything we do and everywhere we go.  If you have a rewards card with any business, they are tracking your purchases.  If you have a smart TV, cable TV or streaming, you are being tracked in what you are viewing.  Your car, if it’s a newer model, can and does track your maintenance and other aspects of ownership and driving.  If one of your appliances connects to the Internet, your use of that appliance is being tracked.  And, of course, wherever you click on social media or whatever you search for is being tracked and traced.  It’s pretty much ubiquitous.

But voting...the ballot...we know if you voted.  We know where you voted.  We know which political party’s ballot you voted on if the election is a primary.  But we don’t know HOW you voted…who you voted for…how you voted on bond issues and other questions.  That information forever stays with you unless you choose to divulge it.  And that’s an increasing rarity these days…the privilege of privacy.

We’ll have another election in November.  This time, there will be only one ballot because it is not a partisan primary election, but rather a general election.  Your vote will continue to be a matter of privacy.  Yes, we will know whether or not you voted, but we will not know HOW you voted on this or that race or this or that issue.  Be informed.  Don’t pay much attention to the mailers, the TV ads, or the social media posts.  Get your information from trusted sources.  Do your own research.

You should know by now that if you’re a citizen, you have an obligation to participate in elections.  Not an obligation that comes from some law or edict.  But rather an obligation out of thanksgiving for being able to live in such a society.  Yes, even with all of our faults, prejudices, and issues, we manage to make it work.  But it takes us all to participate as best we can…to give back rather than continuing to just be on the receiving end.

OK, I’ll quit preaching here and go on.

I was visiting with one of our deacons who works with building and grounds.  We had just looked at a water leak and plumbing issue.  This has come in addition to several other items that need to be repaired or replaced in and around the building.  I said something about a 50 plus year old building needing more attention, just like when we get older, we have a larger stable of medical people…many of them specialists in some area.  We do that because generally, more can go wrong with an older body than a younger one.  As the body ages, it begins to have to cope with stiff joints, unstable blood pressure, diminishing eyesight, and other maladies that often accompany aging.  It’s just a fact of life for people as it also is for things…buildings, automobiles, and the like.

Of course, there comes a time when the body can no longer cope…can no longer make the adjustments it needs to keep going, and it expires…it dies.  Eventually, it’s the same with a building.  Oh, it may be put on the historic preservation list and be around 200 , 300, 500  or more years from now.  But eventually, eventually, it will succumb to the inevitable.  The question for buildings always seems to be, is it worth it to make the repair, or do we just replace?  The question for bodies may look similar, but the thought process is much different, because we’re also looking at the mind and soul of the individual as well as the physical body that houses that soul.  We believe every person has inherent value and worth, unlike a building or automobile.  And we need to take that into consideration as we make sometimes very difficult or painful decisions.

Meanwhile, we employ people in various vocations and specialties to help us navigate through those times when something goes awry in body or mind.  And often, they can help.  They can many times enable the body to better cope with the problem.  In some cases, they can either fix the problem or at least put that problem or issue on the back burner, which allows a better quality of life and living for awhile.

It is my hope and prayer that you are living your life as fully and completely as possible, given your circumstance and situation.  May God continue to embrace and bless you.

 

Blessings,