Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are, 'it might have been'

The PUC (Pagan Unity Campaign) staff is as full of people who have strong opinions and aren't afraid to voice them as is the ProgressiveU membership. The spirit and passion displayed by state chairs and various others on staff there is part of what makes the organization such fun to work with. As a result of the energy that everyone brings to the table, debates are always as lively between staff members as it is between the general PUC public.

The staff has recently been discussing the presidential elections and the double standards that have come into play in regard to candidates. I'm not going to go into all of that discussion here because it's far too long and beside the point of this post, but suffice to say, we've had quite a nice little debate going about candidates, issues, media bias, fair play and various other issues over the last few days.

One of the staff members responded to a message in that discussion saying that, at this point, any issue aside from the economy is not of utmost importance to her. While I can certainly understand that, I responded back and said I'm trepidatious about taking a one issue approach because, at some point, those other issues will come into play. It seems short sighted to focus so hard on one issue that we exclude discussion and consideration of all other. If we go to the polls voting one issue only, how can we complain when the person we voted for on that issue does something completely contrary to what we believe to be the right or best thing?

Ask in order of importance, I wrote in that response, but don't simply fail to ask at all. I’m posting this here now because it’s something we, as voters, have a tendency to forget.

When we fail to ask at all, we set ourselves up for later problems. Many voters that I spoke to the last presidential election cycle were casting their votes solely on the national security issue. Several said that was the only issue that mattered at the time. The person that he or she could agree with on that issue was the one that, inevitably, received the vote.

I've spoken to several of those same people over the last few years and most have come to regret that one issue vote decision. They have realized in the last few years that perhaps taking a one issue approach wasn't the best idea.

At some point over the last years, each of those people that have expressed regret for their decision have had cause to realize that while they might have agreed with the candidate on that one issue, they didn't on other issues. I don't know when that realization came for many of them or even what issue it was that drove them to regret the decision they made. But the regret is there all the same.

I like to think that we consider our decisions and make the one that we feel is best. I try to live my life with a no regrets philosophy. The decisions I have made in my life, whether it be the decision to vote for one candidate over another, to marry young or to take time off before going to college, have been made for a reason. What I believe and what I stand for is so much a part of who I am that in many ways, the decisions I make leave no room for regrets. Regardless of if my opinions have changed over the years, I'm confident that the decisions I made at the time were made for good reason. It's hard to regret making a decision, even if it did lead to colossal failure, when you know that the decision you made was the one that allowed you to be true to who you are and what you believe in.

So, having that particular philosophy, it's always a little sad when someone makes a hasty decision and later learns to regret that decision. And that is one reason that voter education is so important.

One may feel strongly on one certain issue today, but that issue, no matter how important it may be, is not the only issue to consider. Looking at that issue and that issue only rarely ever leads to peace of mind or a lack of regret. One may feel better today about that decision, but more often than not, one will eventually realize that there were other issues that should have been considered.

Those other issues have a tendency to crop up, even when we wish they wouldn't. Ignoring them today to focus on the issue of the moment is rather like taking a shot in the dark. You have a general idea of where everyone in the room is at, but you have no way to tell for certain whom you are really aiming at. If, however, you take the time to find out who stands where before the lights go off, you're more likely to hit the one you intended.

It's much the same with politics.

If you look at a candidate's stance on that one issue only, you have no real idea of who you are voting for. They may agree with you on other issues, they may not. If they happen to agree, you got lucky. If they don't, you've effectively screwed yourself. You helped put in office someone you can't support.

Living with that regret seems a hell of lot less pleasant than it would have been to vote entire picture from the beginning.

We all have issues that rank higher in importance than do others and at some point, we're all placed into a position in which we agree with a candidate on some issues but not others. Knowing from the beginning where you agree and where you don't is infinitely better than taking a shot in the dark and hoping for the best. When you do the former, you know what's at stake. When you do the latter, you leave yourself vulnerable.

I say all of this now because in a few months, quite a portion of the ProgressiveU readership will be going to the polls for the first time. It's better to begin preparing now than to walk out of that box on November 4th uncertain as to whether you made a decision you're going to be kicking yourself over for the next four years.

Regret, like education, has a tendency to linger. Better it be the education that lingers than the regret.

*quote used in title from George Ade*