Samir Shukla
By Samir Shukla
Hold on to your hats. This turbulence-fueled flight is about to land. The time is drawing near to employ the landing gears and attempt a smooth landing. A diverse set of Americans are sitting close to each other on this packed flight called democracy.
The political conventions are over. The presidential and vice-presidential debates have been tagged and sold. It’s now time for the voters to disembark this disorienting ride and make a stand.
A distinctly important American election is just around the corner – Tuesday, November 5, 2024, to be precise. Somewhere in all the nastiness, the half-truths and the politically alternative narratives leading up to that hallowed Tuesday, a possible future awaits.
This is where participation matters. If you are like me, and I’m imagining most people are, I’m interested in a future of possibilities, not a today of constant pessimism, or a past of grievances and missed opportunities. Making achievable goals and then executing what needs to be done is the need.
I’ve become weary of people who spew constant negativity. I don’t need the downers. Give me potential, doable solutions along with your complaints, and I’ll listen. I’m interested in being a whisperer of positivity. Life is too short.
Talking and engaging can help people become aware of their blind spots and assumptions. Much of the divisiveness is due to external characters manipulating or manufacturing conflicts. Emotional responses oft win out over logical thinking. Some people are simply acting out of frustration due to numerous missed plays in their lives, or events and setbacks that happened to them but were totally out of their control. Or they let political derangements and conspiracy theories get the best of them.
I think this exchange of where we are in our lives – the reflections, the joys and the setbacks, the unknowns and the planned – is the foundation for seeking solutions and unity. Exchanging ideas and presenting workable solutions at different intersections in our lives, well, isn’t that the essence of progress? These interactions anchor us in a place and time as humans.
This evolves over time, of course, as we go through our lives. This exchange catches us up and helps focus our own thinking. The process of realization that we are all in the same boat, or a blue marble floating through space, as it were, keeps the world moving forward.
Politics and elections are a nasty business, made darker by the partisans and operatives. What we need is light.
Incidentally, this year, Diwali, the festival of lights, is five days before Election Day. Let the light of the season renew America’s direction. Participatory democracy is the light. Don’t sit it out. Keep this light lit. Make sure you are registered to vote, and then, of course, find the time to cast your ballot during early voting or on that historic Tuesday in November.
Samir Shukla is the Editor of Saathee Magazine.
Contact: [email protected]
Twitter/X: @ShuklaWrites
Newsletter: ShuklaWrites.Substack.com
