We are not just republicans or democrats, liberals or conservatives, moderates or extremists who have trouble finding or defining community. We are part of the great communion that embraces the living, the dead, and all who will come after us. Our ancestors – we share them if we go back far enough – have been rogues and heroes, courageous and cowardly, sung and unsung, hardworking and indolent, cruel and kind, mistaken and visionary. Ancestors are not just our blood kin, but the people whose beliefs, ideas, and creations have shaped us. Whether we know their names or not, they live in us as we will live in those who come after us, whether or not we have biological children. … As part of the preparation for voting – and as incentive to vote – we might do well to contemplate this communion, invoke the wisdom of the ancestors to help us keep faith with the descendants.
~ Elizabeth Cunningham
(Tikkun Daily, October 26, 2010)
I’m waiting in Dallas/Ft. Worth for a connecting flight to O’Hare. I’m oh-so-glad I was one of the many people who took advantage of voting early 🙂
I think I would have taken advantage of early voting too if we had it here in Connecticut. If we could get it so we could vote online, that would be even better. 🙂
Being grateful the ancestors who took a stand, who were brave, who taught us to step out of place, to reshape, reform, and inform that “we are the people” of “we the people”!
Feeling grateful for the ancestors, too, Jeff, those who thought ahead to leave a special foundation for future generations to work with and expand. If we don’t vote we have no right to complain about the government. “We the people” are the government!
Thanks for reminding us! Love the quote and the cartoon. We’ve come a long way, baby.
Women in Turkey won voting rights in 1926. My grandmother was fourteen when women won the right to vote here – sometimes we forget just how far we’ve come!
Great cartoon. Watching the election coverage on TV.
Our ancestors were such brave strong people, especially the women. I can’t imagine how they lived and gave birth in those primitive homes.
I fell asleep watching the election coverage here, but woke up at about 3 a.m. to hear the good news! Our foremothers were extraordinary women, hard workers and unsung heroes, keeping their families strong, well-fed and well-loved.
We must always remember those who have fought so hard and sacrificed so much for rights that were not always considered so, and are too often taken for granted today. I come late to this, but this is a wonderful on-going message. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Diane. You’re so right, we do need to stop occasionally and reflect on how much was sacrificed by so many to get where we are today. Our government isn’t perfect but it is our (we the people) responsibility to use our right to vote in such a way to keep moving progress forward!