Humans are pattern-seeking โ something that doesnโt agree with the nature of reality since it is inherently uncertain and unpredictable. Anything can happen. There is a perfect blend of beauty and terror in the ambiguity, but itโs the reality we live with and keep tucked away in the backs of our minds every day.
This year has been one of pure uncertainty (in case the advertisements havenโt told you that โthese are uncertain timesโ enough). We joke that 2020 canโt get any worse, so go ahead and add another disaster to the pile forming in the corner in the same way national debt does. Itโs not normal to be as numb as we are to the concept of uncertainty. Global pandemic? Economic recession? Protestors getting shot down? The election of a decade? At this point, I couldโve added alien invasion to the list and no one would be phased.
In the year 2020, the only certainty is uncertainty itself. This year has been a breath weโve been waiting to let out. When will it be okay to breathe? When will it be okay to feel like the crisis is over? When will we be okay?
Until then, we hold our breaths, twiddle our thumbs, and try not to hope too much in fear that something worse will roll along in response.
And here it is: this year (of all years this could possibly happen) incidentally is the year of the general elections.
Red vs. Blue
Elephant vs. Donkey
Democrat vs. Republican
We make decisions on who makes decisions for us. One of the cornerstones of democracy is free and fair elections. Take your ballot and drop it in the box as all votes are counted accurately.
But not this year. No. Like everything else this year, voting is a bit different. Mail-in ballot voting. The concept itself is not all that foreign and has worked on a smaller scale in the past. But this year (to use an overused phrase) there seems to be some controversy surrounding this. Mail-in ballots are voter fraud. We might not know the results until later. The post office sucks. Youโve heard almost everything on this by now if youโve tuned into even half an hour of news a week.
Itโs hilarious. Iโm laughing right now as I write this because of the utter hypocrisy of it. I get it, the post system isnโt always perfect, but neither is our political system right now, and it seems the same people criticizing mail-in ballots seem to be glossing over the faults of our government. We keep talking about how fair it is to have mail-in ballots. Can we trust it? What if everyoneโs votes donโt count? Itโs not an accurate representation. It wonโt make everyoneโs voice heard.
Has it ever counted? Think about it. No really. Think. Way back in ye olden days, women couldnโt vote, people of color couldnโt vote, the impoverished found it difficult to vote. Was that accurate? The voice of the people was the voice of straight, rich, property-owning, white males.
Oh, but weโve evolved from that.
Have we though?
Remember: just because itโs legal doesnโt mean itโs acceptable. Thatโs the equivalent of saying that starting to think about giving rights to the LGBTQ community can fix homophobia. Thatโs not how that works.
Weโre not that much better today than we were centuries ago in terms of free and fair elections. Why? Voter suppression exists. Who are we suppressing?
Who are the people who are suppressed in all aspects of the American government? Minority groups.
This administration is known to suppress minority groups. Throwing them in cages, threatening deportation, building a literal border wall, shooting protesters, and just sowing hatred. Not to mention how difficult it is to even be able to vote if you have a criminal record. The Shelby County vs. Holder trial didnโt help either. Democracy lost 5-4.
There are tactics and chess pieces being moved to silence people that we arenโt even aware of.
The worst kind of uncertainty is the uncertainty in whether or not your voice is heard. Am I represented? Am I equal? Am I cared for? This type of uncertainty is almost existential in nature and deserves a definitive yes. These shouldnโt be things we have to worry about, but such is the state of reality at this point.
There is a way to change this. Vote. Youโve probably already heard this one, but Iโm serious: if you can, then do it. Iโm not saying vote for any particular candidate but just vote. The best way to predict the future and eliminate as much of this malicious uncertainty as possible is to vote.
Vote. You can be certain in your own opinions, actions, and decisions. Once you master that, the rest shouldnโt bother you much. You have to voice your opinions and speak out against injustice. Itโs hard to pinpoint definitively what is wrong and right, but the important thing is to try. Itโs all anyone can do. I can say with complete certainty that trying has more of a chance of succeeding than not trying at all.
Reema Kalidindi is a junior at Lower Bucks High School and a lead volunteer at Bharatiya Templeโs school for children.