Just imagine waking up on election day and already knowing the result. Also, there's no necessity to check the news because we already know which candidate won the election. It's because every influencer, celebrity, and community leader agrees on one candidate. Moreover, people were guided to vote only one person who is the "right choice." On the other hand many people stand in a long line in blistering heat just to cast their votes but what's the use of it when the outcome has already been decided? So, how can we still call this an election? it doesn't feel like that at all.
However, when this question arrived in my mind I thought of asking about it to an elderly person. So, one evening I was helping my mother in the kitchen. I asked her this question. She was not surprised at all, instead she smiled and gave me a bowl of mangoes. All of them looked different some were bright yellow, some were a bit green and mixed with yellow, while others had small dark spots. Then she asked me to choose the best one.
I looked at all of them and picked the one looked attractive in my eyes which was a bright yellow mango, and I could already tell that it would taste really sweet. My mother also picked a mango which was not attractive at all and had dark spots at some places. But when we cut them open, her mango was sweeter than mine. She laughed and said, “See? Sometimes what looks right is not actually right.” To be honest I was surprised by her idea of comparison and it stayed in my mind.
In elections, many people think that they already know who could be the best candidate. Some of them may honestly want to help others by telling them whom to vote for. But, if everyone follows one person's opinion then they are actually not thinking about it with their own mind. They are just going with the flow which is not a good thing at all. Democracy is about choosing the right thing for everyone, we should think twice before voting someone out of influence. Democracy allows citizens to use their own judgment.
Therefore, the influencers of a country which we follow online on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter if they start to constantly promote a candidate then their fans will obviously listen to their favourite content creator right? Same goes for the famous actors, teachers, community leaders if they tell people exactly whom to vote for people will not think twice because they are die hard fans of their idols. Many voters might simply follow those instructions. Just like the way when they promote a brand and people get crazy to buy it and it starts trending, the same way goes for the election.
So, at elections they could also hire someone famous to promote the candidate right? You will never know the truth behind it. For an example BTS and BlackPink are famous music bands all over the world, they have so many obediant fans that if they ever ask their fans to do something they would do it without thinking if it's right or wrong. So, the procedure of elections would become less about personal choice and more about obedience. The result might still be good sometimes, but the freedom behind the decision would disappear.
Democracy is not easy because different people have different kind of thought process and it may not match, they may choose differently and argue about it or even make mistakes. But as we are human beings mistakes are Inevitable but it's a part of learning, we can learn from our past mistakes but we shouldn't stop moving forward. Just as I learned not to judge a mango only by its appearance, voters learn by questioning, listening and making decisions themselves.
There is also another problem. Like I said before the “right” candidate is not always the same for everyone. The one right to me may not feel right for someone else, and we should not argue on such matters like a kid. We should try to resolve it by finding solutions. Still, I do not support the idea of trying to influence people to vote someone else, people should not be told whom to vote for, even when the wrong choice seems obvious. Everyone equally deserves to know honest information about the candidate and allowed to decide freely. When citizens will start to think independently the power of democracy will get stronger.
In conclusion, the true power of an election is not choosing the perfect candidate; it is protecting every person's right to choose.
The thumbnail is created with chatgpt.
