It's no longer a blue world Max

I sit here at my desk with my ballot in my hand. Yes, in Oregon all our elections are by mail. We can all vote about two weeks early this election if we so choose. I’ve gone down the list of measures, marked my voter’s pamphlet with my choices, even the seemingly pointless votes on the city land annexations. The last few days my mailbox has been filled with political leaflets. My phone today rang three times with recorded messages touting candidates honor and their opponent’s dishonor. All week I’ve been taking those 10 second pre-election polls. “If the election was held to day who would you vote for? How definite are you on your selection”. In the beginning the it was ‘somewhat definite, the last week it was finally definite’.

I waited to watch the debates, which were rather good for events that could be only remotely defined as ‘debate’. The VP debates just made me uncomfortable. I’ve been watching what the candidates say outside the debates, or at least the bites the media feed us. I waited until knew a little more about the men and measures, and the measure of the men. I’ve waited and watched. Tonight I have decided on the entire election. I didn’t pick a side, a person, or against a person. I didn’t vote for what is happening now. I voted for what my children are going to face in four years. My son will be 15. Three years from war age. My daughter will be 7, just starting school. This election isn’t about me. It’s about them.

What world do I want them to face? Better yet what direction will our generation set our country, their destiny? And it occurred to me… the political environment is divided, we’re lead to believe it’s a black and white world. It’s not a black and white world. There isn’t a clear definition of right and wrong, there isn’t people that are pure evil or pure good. One action today does not guarantee a certain result tomorrow. It’s not heads or tails, it’s not black and white. The world is an infinite spectrum of gray.

This world, heck life itself is complex. I’m afraid this last four years we have been deceived into believing it is some kind of bipolar anthrodialectic. (I don’t thinks that’s a real word, don’t try to look it up). You’re either for us or against us. It was a right decision, it was a wrong decision. Looking at my ballot, we’re forced to vote in black in white. Yes, No … Dem, Rep. But we don’t have to think that way.

I know no one reads this blog. It’s mostly for me to have a voice outside my own head. But, if by chance someone does read this. Please, please think about the gray areas, the places in the middle – the choice to look behind, and in between the sound bites, and political ads. Think – and look into the gray areas. Think about the world your children will live in, in ten years. Think about how, in this black & white election you have partaken in, will effect or affect their lives. It will still be a gray complex world for them. So please, think about the gray areas this election. That’s where the reality resides.