Do what you think is right. September 2015.
I have been thinking a lot about the politics of politics recently. And have learnt a lot this year about my own beliefs and opinions. I struggled hugely to decide who was best to vote for this year. I spoke to dozens of people, supporters of all different parties. And I came to the conclusion that once people have an opinion set, it is almost impossible to change. Having said that, I was once a Conservative supporter, I am now a supporter of the Labour Party and believe in what the Green Party stands for. This is not going to be a blog post about who is right and who is wrong in the slightest. But I wanted to post something which reflected on what I had learnt from the advice people gave me, for those people out there who are struggling to decide who to vote for in future. And where to start.
I asked friends and family members who I should vote for and the majority of people told me to vote for who they believed in for the various policies they felt they stood for.
My parents, strong Conservative supporters, insisted that the good of the economy was for the good of the country and therefore for the good of all of us. That we would be a stronger country with David Cameron remaining as our Prime Minister and that my future would be better in the long run if I voted for Conservatives. Many friends agreed, most living in the same area that I am from. Many friends disagreed and insisted I vote for the Labour government, for a brighter future for everyone, and for the country as a whole to improve, which meant that consequently my life would improve for the better.
My cousin kindly suggested I look at it in a practical sense, that he voted for a party based on the greater good of the people around him. He voted for what would benefit him the most, his family and his friends. What would make his life better and a better life for those he cared about which to me seemed logical and probably the most sensible answer I had received.
However, it began to dawn on me that no one had given me the piece of advice I realised that I would give to someone had they asked me what I was asking them. Who to vote for? Well, put simply, I would vote for what you think is right. I took online questionnaires, I watched videos, I read articles, I looked at graphs of statistics, I spoke to numerous people for advice, I watched the news. I researched. I did as much as I could to figure out who I wanted to vote for myself. But before any of that could be of any use to me, I had to decide what it was I did believe in, before I decided who to vote for.
I decided I believed in fairness. I had been raised to live and let live, treat others with kindness, be generous, caring and work hard. I had been raised to look out for other people, that singling someone out is not nice, for whatever reason and that anyone who treats others well should be treated well in return. What my parents have taught me may not be everyone’s beliefs, but they are mine and I must follow what I have been raised to believe is right. And so, I believe that everyone deserves a fair chance. I believe that we were all born on the same planet, the same earth. It is our world to share. And by some incredible chance we are all different in so many different ways. But that doesn’t make any of us any less deserving of a bright future. I have learnt so much about the value of kindness and I have been so fortunate to be raised well (in my opinion) by two loving, beautiful parents and a loving family around me. And I am still learning. I love my life and I love my world and everyone deserves the chance to feel that way, don’t they? Who cares what country we come from? Who cares what colour skin we have? Who cares if we choose to believe in our own God or we do not? Who cares if we speak different languages or wear different clothing or eat different food or have different opinions on certain things? Who gives a flying fuck? Because I do not. We are all humans, we are all people. We are all the fucking same. Where we are born is not chosen by us, it is pure chance where in the world we are born. If you are hard working and you treat people well as you expect to be treated, then you too deserve everything that any lucky person has. I decided, that voting for my own family’s benefit and that of my lucky, well raised, middle class friends and myself only was not the right thing for me. I decided that everyone deserved the chance to be as fortunate as I have. I believe EVERYONE deserves the right to a good life like I already have. Do what YOU think is right. It simply is not good enough to say ‘that’s not how the world works.’ We can change it. Change is real. Change is unstoppable. Change happens every minute of every day beyond our control, so let’s make some changes that ARE in our control. Let’s make good chances and change the world.