Oct 12th, 2020: Making a Right Judgment
Many Americans will go and vote for their president, some governors, and some of the members of their two legislative houses on Nov 3 rd. They will make make a judgment by casting their votes. One person-one-vote is the nature of democracy. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn't. It depends on how people exercise their right to vote, and therefore to make a judgment. I have heard from a friend in Eastern Canada that many of her friends would vote again for our current PM because he "looks so cute". In John 7: 24, we are warned about that form of judgment:
"Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment."
Appearance plays a critical role in our society. That is why many politicians hire consultants to help them with the improvement of theirs. They need to know when to dress formal and when not to. They need to know how to pick up babies and what comments they need to make while doing so. They have to learn how to use the proper talking points in order not to reveal their real commitments. Some might not even have any ideas about what they are really saying while doing so.
Appearance trumps integrity. We have witnessed politicians who lie through their teeth, and voters still vote them back in. We learn that some of them claim to fight against racial injustice. Yet, their records in public life either show nothing or the opposite. Maybe voters don't really care about integrity anymore, and that is a sad comment on our democracy. We sometimes don't know what the candidate is saying because he (she) has learned how to avoid answering the questions. Somehow it is now acceptable for a politician to do the exact opposite of what he (she) claims to represent.
Appearance is not just about the look anymore. Now it is also about what a candidate appears to consider as the platform for his (her) campaign. It is not about doing what is right and noble. It is about pleasing specific groups to get votes. We don't actually get a chance to see the convictions of our candidates often. Many of them don't have a long-term plan for their nation because that is not the most important. We are indeed living in a very perplexing time.
Maybe our democratic process needs to be overhauled. How can anyone without money run for the Office of the President in the US? If candidates need to raise money to do so, now they all face the risks of being influenced and corrupted. We need to pray that Americans will vote with the right judgment in this coming election. By the way, the final say about the future of the world does not depend on our democracy.
