If you were guaranteed a steadily improving standard of living (in terms of buying power, free time, quality of goods and services, etc.), would you be willing to give up your right to vote? Explain.
I'm 16 years old right now, so I can't vote, but I would give up my right to vote if I was guaranteed a steadily improving standard of living. The right to vote is important, but I've realized that we vote because we want something or someone who can do something good for us. If I've already got what I need the most, I think I would give up my right to vote. I do believe in human rights, but the only reason we need these rights is so that we can do what we want. In my case, my whole life seems to be good enough.
I've also realized that I don't vote much for school elections and things. Most of the time, I find flaws in every person, and these flaws cloud my judgement on these candidates. In the end, no one seems to be that great, and I decide not to vote for anyone.
If I ever do give up my right to vote, I want to have the right to free speech. That way, I could freely express my opinions on running candidates, and maybe, my reasons could help some other person make a decision. I want to be like Boris Yeltsin, who resigned from his position in the Communist Party and managed to criticize the party without being killed (it was during Gorbachev's time). With free speech, I wouldn't be killed, and I would be able to say what I think about people.
That was what I thought before I started writing this post. I've been thinking about me being happy, but the question doesn't give me an option for other people. If I'm the only happy person under a really bad leader, I'd feel guilty. My vote may have the power to alter the results of an election or change the future of millions of people, and I don't want to make the wrong choice. I don't want to make the wrong choice by having no choice at all when my decision could make an impact. It's not possible to be happy when everyone around you isn't. Sadness is like happiness. James Van Der Zee once said, "Happiness is like a perfume, you can't spread it around without pouring a few drops on yourself. Happiness is infectious, and so is sadness. My happiness will most probably not make a whole population happy, but their sadness will most probably make me feel really, really bad. I don't like having a guilty conscience, so I want my right to vote so I can make a choice that helps people.
I don't need to have an improving standard of living given to me. I'd rather earn it. That's why I would work and study. What if I spontaneously decide to become a hermit or some nomad with a life completely different from the one being guaranteed to me? I don't need to be given this improving standard of living. I think I'll earn it on my own, so I can decide to adopt or abandon this way of life without having my right to vote being determined by what I want.
While typing the previous paragraph, I realized that I could still be making a big, big mistake. My vote could be what brings the whole thing down. My vote could be the bad thing. And now, I don't know what I would want, but I do know this much; I want what the thing that would benefit a lot of people, not just myself.
I'm 16 years old right now, so I can't vote, but I would give up my right to vote if I was guaranteed a steadily improving standard of living. The right to vote is important, but I've realized that we vote because we want something or someone who can do something good for us. If I've already got what I need the most, I think I would give up my right to vote. I do believe in human rights, but the only reason we need these rights is so that we can do what we want. In my case, my whole life seems to be good enough.
I've also realized that I don't vote much for school elections and things. Most of the time, I find flaws in every person, and these flaws cloud my judgement on these candidates. In the end, no one seems to be that great, and I decide not to vote for anyone.
If I ever do give up my right to vote, I want to have the right to free speech. That way, I could freely express my opinions on running candidates, and maybe, my reasons could help some other person make a decision. I want to be like Boris Yeltsin, who resigned from his position in the Communist Party and managed to criticize the party without being killed (it was during Gorbachev's time). With free speech, I wouldn't be killed, and I would be able to say what I think about people.
That was what I thought before I started writing this post. I've been thinking about me being happy, but the question doesn't give me an option for other people. If I'm the only happy person under a really bad leader, I'd feel guilty. My vote may have the power to alter the results of an election or change the future of millions of people, and I don't want to make the wrong choice. I don't want to make the wrong choice by having no choice at all when my decision could make an impact. It's not possible to be happy when everyone around you isn't. Sadness is like happiness. James Van Der Zee once said, "Happiness is like a perfume, you can't spread it around without pouring a few drops on yourself. Happiness is infectious, and so is sadness. My happiness will most probably not make a whole population happy, but their sadness will most probably make me feel really, really bad. I don't like having a guilty conscience, so I want my right to vote so I can make a choice that helps people.
I don't need to have an improving standard of living given to me. I'd rather earn it. That's why I would work and study. What if I spontaneously decide to become a hermit or some nomad with a life completely different from the one being guaranteed to me? I don't need to be given this improving standard of living. I think I'll earn it on my own, so I can decide to adopt or abandon this way of life without having my right to vote being determined by what I want.
While typing the previous paragraph, I realized that I could still be making a big, big mistake. My vote could be what brings the whole thing down. My vote could be the bad thing. And now, I don't know what I would want, but I do know this much; I want what the thing that would benefit a lot of people, not just myself.
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