Ignore Politics at Your Own Risk.
If one ignores politics will politics ignore that person too? The answer is apparent. Whether we like it or not, in a democracy, one is always part of politics. Passively or actively. There is no truth in the statement “ I am not involved or interested in politics”. Many people feel safe in extolling “I don’t vote”. The truth is, that they have participated in politics whether they’ve voted or not. When a person doesn’t vote he is helping the winner by abstaining. When a person clicks on NOTA (None Of The Above) then he/she is still helping or damaging one of the candidates.
Politicians thrive on the people who don’t care about politics. These elected leaders are supposed to make laws and govern the country. Bad government is elected because of the ill-informed choice that people made. The ignorance or abstinence of people is essential for their game plan.
Let’s see this scenario. A ruling party gets a vote share of 37% (from people who voted)and sufficient seats to form the government. (Historically no party has ever got more than 50% except once). So 63% of people did not vote for this party, which will make the laws that will affect all 100%. This 63% is from the people who voted (65% vote polled). The 35% that did not vote is nearly as large as the vote share of the winning party. Did the people who stayed away helped the winner or not?
The discussion on politics can be very intense and lead to heated arguments. So the neutral ones like to avoid and the best excuse is that “I am not interested”. That may be a good decision but having information on what’s happening is better. The policies of the government can hurt everyone and having knowledge makes a person well-armed.
A person should realize that he/she is invariably connected to decisions being made by the government. We have aspects of our lives that can be impacted whether or not we are interested in politics. We have loved ones and their safety to worry about, Our jobs/business are vulnerable to policy changes, our money in savings and investments are also subject to arbitrary changes in the law. We spend time understanding options of investments, home loans, car loans, where our kids can study, and what health cover to purchase. All the research we do has a big factor. That is the law of the land. The best of the research and study can become redundant by the decisions being made by lawmakers. Do we really want to ignore this critical factor?
One is not professing that we should deep dive into understanding the intricacies of politics. We need to follow trends and evaluate different parties and analyze how a particular party’s ideology or agenda will impact us personally, professionally, and as a nation. Once we are aware then our decision will be qualified and we can make the choice on voting day. It doesn't matter if your party wins the election or not. The vote you cast is not a target practice where you should hit the bullseye. Your vote is an affirmation of the kind of party you want to encourage and see them as the nation builder.
There will be people who will want to argue and convince you about some other party, but the reply has to be that it's a personal decision and not open to discussion. Getting aware of politics doesn't mean you have to debate with friends and family. You are simply being prudent about safeguarding your future along with your loved ones and all that is dear to you.
