One of the hardest things to watch during this election cycle has been the incredible amount of desperation so many people are feeling.

shakethecobwebs:

A day hasn’t gone by where I haven’t seen people both begging and bullying people into voting for their preferred candidate because they fear what could happen under the other person’s election.

It has been a helpful (albeit spiritually draining) reminder that so many of us have been molded in school systems, households, and states that have told us that we are responsible for being political every four years, but in between that? Keep your mouth shut. Don’t talk politics. Don’t be “politically correct.” Nod along with your parents, your aunts and uncles, your teachers, and your bosses when they have opinions you don’t agree with. Be polite and never question authority, because they know what’s best for you. It’s rude to take part in the shaping of the world around you. Hate speech is still free.

The trouble is, most of us aren’t even taught how the presidential election works, let alone local elections. Community organizing groups are pushed to the shadows because they are seen as fringe groups, idealistic at best and dangerous at worst. We’re taught that to be political, we need to be marginally informed once every four years about who we think could make some amorphous changes in “how our country is run,” instead of looking at politics as something that happens in every corner of our lives, every day, on both the biggest and smallest of scales.

Politics are intentionally obscured from the public, making it almost impossible for most people to participate, while the public is blamed for whatever policies are dumped in our laps. We are told that we have *so much power,* but we are never taught how to harness that power, engage with that power, or use that power to make positive changes in our own lives and communities. We are told that we have power, but these systems are set up to make us feel powerless.

Where do we go from here? Clearly, voting isn’t enough. If it were, it seems unlikely that election years would be as stressful as they are for so many people. Do we hold fast to the idea that politics only happen in government buildings and voting sites? Or do we dare to dream a bit bigger, and find ways to build power in our communities year-round? Is there something better or in-between?

Are you tired? Me too.