How to Vote

Inspiration

I have been inspired me to gather a group of voluntaryist media arts folks to create a documentary, "How to Vote Without Losing Friends: Works for Democrats AND Republicans, Non-Partisan!" It would basically explain a lot of what you did, but with graphics and parables and building tension until the final, real answer, is "have conversations to change behaviors rather than forcing change through politicians and violence."

The plan

(an EXTREMELY ROUGH one) is as follows, subject to (lots of) revision:

1. Collect and create bits of media that illustrate the points in the FLOW described below
   1. Filter collected/created bits through community engagement (if you're reading this, you're part of the community)
2. Wait for Dave or others he's asked for help to update this plan, but remain community engaged by providing suggestions.
3. Assemble the best bits of media into a documentary with the following narration:

The Flow

I think most people are good, kind, and loving, but damage can degrade those excellent qualities. Healing can improve them. What does that have to do with voting?

There are generally two choices, each with its own mix of legislation adjustment. Legislation is just a justification for creating suffering. One party wants to create suffering for reasons A, B and C, and the other wants to create suffering for D and E, and maybe C too. Suffering is a sign of damage. We damage people. Each party damages us for all the good reasons that party sees. We use all the good reasons politicians agree on as an excuse to damage everyone who tries something different. What if you don't want to create suffering? I don't.

Have you heard of "Voting with your pocketbook?" I vote with my voice by talking and with my fingers by typing. I'm voting right now by speaking to everyone who will hear me. Rather than doing a thing once because it might help get people into a position to adjust the reasons we create suffering, I speak and type every day to plant the seeds that can grow into greater peace for the world, and less justification for the creation of suffering. It seems much friendlier than voting for someone a good friend may have judged as a bad choice, and possibly losing that friend because politics creates so much emotion.

If you'd like to vote the way I do, have conversations to change behaviors rather than trying to force change through politicians and more suffering.