And not the MTV Real World from back in our day.
I mean how you… we… are living today, how you lived yesterday, how you’ll probably live tomorrow, and the next X years.
Vote that way.
I can’t say this enough, but the majority of us are all waaaaay past the point of being exhausted about the current state of how we’re existing. Barely holding on financially and mentally. Unless, of course, you’re solidly in the one percent club.
And while there’s already so much packed into our day-to-day lives, we have to recognize that those mounting things are also being impacted, or soon will be, by the decisions of others from previous elections. Those others being who we all voted into power. Or, for those of you who didn’t vote, which will forever send me into a spiral, didn’t vote into power, but hell, they’re there anyway.
A non-vote was still a vote. Remember this forever.
You might be part of the group who are fed up hearing about politics, but politics is literally how every single one of us lives our lives. So we don’t get a choice in not being invested in it. We don’t get to be fed up come the November midterms in less than two weeks.
If you happen to live on Earth, politics affects you
And we no longer get to continue on with the “Oh, but both sides are just as bad” argument or trying to convince others that you’re not red or blue, but purple. Neither is trying to shove your new “Can’t we all get along?” mantra down people’s throats. And claiming to be ‘Switzerland-neutral’ won’t cut it either. So let’s axe that bullshit now.
Either we vote people into power who are going to drive what is important to us forward, or at least slow the current bleeding, or we keep going down the same hole, helter-skelter speed, to even worse shit. Meaning, those in power continue to take care of folks in their same tax bracket to the detriment of the rest of us.
Are we sure we can keep going this way?
With the upcoming midterm elections here in the USA, if you’re eligible to vote, I’m asking you to vote.
Do your research. The ballot is slightly different per state.
Don’t just go by a smile or a catchy slogan or a pamphlet that came through your door. Take some time to vet the candidates.
This affects you. Your day-to-day life. And for bloody ages!
We’ve all got to vote with our eyeballs pried wide open, like those giant cartoon characters we loved. The ones that had the bendy toothpicks keeping their heavy lids open, exposing their bulging and bloodshot eyeballs. That’s how aware we have to be.
It really doesn’t take much to see what’s happening, and not just around us because we’re living there every day. But a few feet out. A few miles outside our ‘hoods, and across the globe.
Some time back, maybe a few people were lucky enough to be able to look at the state of the world and go, “Wow, that’s awful,” knowing whatever the horror was probably wouldn’t make it to their shores and affect them in any negative way. They could turn the channel or swipe past it. Not so now, it really does all affect us. That so-called luxury has long since passed. And all of what’s happening came up hard and fast on many who didn’t expect it to affect them. I don’t believe we’ll ever again get to live in a world where people can continue on with that thought.
Am I right? How’s it feeling now?
One way or another, what happens over there will eventually hit here.
So respectfully, or disrespectfully, the “I’m just not into politics,” “I’m not a political person” has to once and for all just die out.
Plot Twist: I would even go a step further for those of you in the dating market or looking for new friendships: make the “I’m just not into politics” a red-flag deal breaker.
How could you be with someone who refuses to take an interest in their own future, let alone yours, and you still want to couple or socialize with them? Couldn’t be me. Big pass.
Imagine spending your evenings, your non-working hours, your relaxing times arguing for the rest of your lives? Let alone arguing with strangers on the internet, like some people are still doing.
Are you going to match on every political decision? No.
If you don’t agree with the new bus route in your community but your partner or friends do, you can agree to disagree and still move on to meet up at happy hour.
But if you believe all humans should have bodily autonomy, clean water to drink, healthcare for all, not have AI data centers right in their backyards polluting, well… everything. And that all human life is valid… yet your partner or friends hum and haw over this. Then we are not the same. We are clearly not compatible. Move away from me.
So yes, every vote counts.
That non-vote counted.
Your vote for the actions, decisions, and policies that harmed others counted.
They all counted.
Confusion is no longer an excuse to hide behind
Democracy will never run on good intentions, wishful thinking, and fingers crossed alone.
It runs on people, all of us, showing up and taking action, over, and over, and over again.
And can we please stop voting like we’re one lucky break away from becoming the next billionaire by Thursday?
Honestly, babe, I love the dream. I wish that was it for myself and all of us.
But there’s a difference between believing in your future and voting for a fantasy version of yourself while ignoring how you’re actually living right now.
Look at what you have, what you’re struggling with, or what you can no longer afford that you could maybe afford just a few months or a year ago.
- What are you worried about losing?
- What are you worried about not being able to move forward in?
- Are you worried about your kids, nieces, nephews, godchildren, the next generation, what they may or may not inherit?
- Think about other people who are going through an even tougher situation than you. The people who don’t have the same safety nets or family members or choices or opportunities that you have right now, but that may not be there for them. How are they coping?
Do you care? I hope that you would.
And now, thinking about what you actually want:
- What would you want to see? Or at least, stop seeing happen?
- What do you desperately want to change and need to change?
- At a minimum, what has to stop?
Now that’s how you’re supposed to vote. From now on, that’s how you vote!
November 3, 2026. The midterms are right around the corner. What’s on your voting checklist?
- If you can, vote early, and know those dates and locations.
- Make sure you check your registration and that everything is correct.
- If you’re mailing your ballot in, know the deadlines in your area/state to do so.
And for the record, my family, a few friends, and I have already cast our votes. Yup, skipping the last-minute scramble, unpredictable October weather, and messing with our agreed-upon plans.
Done and done. ✔️
The clock is ticking. Time to get moving. Don’t sit this one out.
Start here 👇🏽
If you haven’t done so already, check your voter registration. Find out what and who’s on your ballot. Check your deadlines and get familiar with your local voting rules. You don’t have to figure it all out on your own, but you do need to take that first step.
Start with Vote.org, VOTE411, or Vote.gov.
Vote with intention. Voting with zero care, or with the intention of hurting or spiting “the others,” can come back to bite you in ways you may never have considered. Focus on what matters to you and yours, what affects your day-to-day, and also what will positively shape a good and decent future for humanity. – IreneB
Let’s ALL do our part this time, then make showing up to always vote a habit for the next.
