Voting

We had our civic elections yesterday, after voting and when the polls closed I was amazed to see that voter turnout was at 26% of eligible voters. So that meant only slightly more than one in four people eligible to vote went out and voted. The crazy part is that 26% was almost double the number that voted in the last civic election!

That got me to thinking how we as a society seem to take the freedoms we have in the West for granted. We have freedom of expression, freedom to vote and religious freedom. Yet despite having all that freedom some choose not to exercise the rights and freedoms they have. The freedoms we have did not come without sacrifice, men and women fought and a great number gave their lives for what we have today. People in other countries would love to have the rights and freedoms we have and still struggle to this day to gain them. So should we not honour the sacrifice made by others on our behalf by taking the time to vote? Shouldn't we cherish and appreciate the freedom?

Another thought is if you didn't choose to vote should any word of complaint about government be able to pass your lips? After all you didn't exercise your choice for government at the ballot box...