Tag: matters

your vote matter?

What is voting? Why is it important?The very first thought which comes to our mind when we think about voting is ‘democracy’. So before understanding voting and its importance, we first need to know about the supportive pillar that provides the right to vote which is democracy. So, Democracy is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation or to choose governing official.

The notion of democracy has evolved over time considerably. The original form of democracy was a direct democracy. The most common form of democracy today is a representative democracy, where the people elect government officials to govern on their behalf such as in a parliamentary or presidential democracy.Democratic principles are reflected in all eligible citizens being equal before the law and having equal access to legislative processes.The term “democracy” is sometimes used as shorthand for liberal democracy, which is a variant of representative democracy that may include elements such as political pluralism; equality before the law; the right to petition elected officials for redress of grievances; due process; civil liberties; human rights; and elements of civil society outside the government.

The present form of democracy is mostly representative democracy , where people elect the government on their behalf to govern the country. So the question arises that how the people select their representatives ?There lies a very simple answer to it e.g. Through voting. The very fundamental principle of democracy is that everyone is equal before the law and has equal rights. So, every vote has equal weight in a democracy. The vote of an ordinary citizen is as important as a vote of the prime minister or the president of the country. The term “democracy” is sometimes used as shorthand for liberal democracy, which is a variant of representative democracy that may include elements such as political pluralism; equality before the law; the right to petition elected officials for redress of grievances; due process; civil liberties; human rights; and elements of civil society outside the government.

Elections aren’t just about who’s in office. They’re about which policies are put in place and where money is spent. Decisions are made every day around issues such as healthcare, education, fair wages, the environment, taxes, housing, and public safety. When people choose not to vote, they’re giving their voice and power to someone else. A majority vote is a formal expression of an individual’s choice for or against some motion (for example, a proposed resolution); for or against some ballot question; or for a certain candidate, selection of candidates, or political party. A preferential vote may allow the voter and/or elected representative to cast one, some or many preferences. In elections, many countries use a secret ballot, a practice to prevent voters from being intimidated and to protect their political privacy.

There has always been a dilemma in society about voting and the most frequent one is that “Does voting matter?”. Voting is the fundamental basis of democracy. Instead of taking it as a burden , rather we should seek it as our responsibility because the purest truth of democracy is that ” every vote matters”. Everyone’s vote is counted and there have been several instances in the past where a single vote became a game changer. Besides, there also lies several dimensions of voting processes. In a democracy the voting system not only gives us the right to vote but it can also act as a weapon of protest. So , voting is a highly effective method to have the change that we want in the government. you have the power to decide on the quality of life you want for yourself and future generations. We may be happy with our present situation but there are several things that require the support from the society and the people. Voting is the way to express commitment to ourselves ,one another and to the whole country. For a well developed society we have to choose those people who want to work for the development of society and people. So for a smart society we need smart people and for those smart people we need to vote first so that they can be selected. We are the ones who define our present and future through our votes by choosing the right candidate.

One should take pride in the right to vote and make proper use of the most coveted right, which is the right to vote. Voting is not something that affects the lives of one or two persons, rather it has a huge impact on millions of people and even the entire country. So voting is the duty of every citizen as it matters to us and it is also a way of showing patriotism and respect towards the country.

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Human right
Politics
votE MATTERS
Election
Democracy

How I Stay Positive

EVERYTHING MATTERS

One of my readers recently replied this to one of my weekly newsletter emails:

“How are you so positive?”

I thought to myself, “Haven’t I written about this before?” I went through all my articles and the answer is no. I have written about the importance of having a positive mindset a lot.

But after 6 years of blogging, this was the first time I got that question. And it’s so on point. Sometimes we take things for granted. Even though I’ve experienced many challenges in life (like almost every other human being), I never gave up my positive mindset.

Often, we look at the world and consider it negative. That’s not a surprise. Because taking one glance at a news website will make the steadiest person depressed. It happens to me too. But calling the world negative is a misjudgment.

That will only cause frustration. The Stoic philosopher Epictetus made that evident in his teachings, two thousand years ago (quote is from The Good Life Handbook):

“So when we are frustrated, angry or unhappy, let’s hold ourselves responsible for these emotions because they are the result of our judgments.”

The Stoic perspective is all about being objective in your perceptions. When your thoughts become negative “because” of something, you’re making misjudgments. Epictetus continues:

“No one else is responsible for them. When you blame others for your negative feelings, you are being ignorant. When you blame yourself for your negative feelings, you are making progress. You are being wise when you stop blaming yourself or others.”

Not blaming others nor yourself is one of the most important things if you want to stay positive. But there are also 4 other things I do to stay positive. Here they are.

1. Practice gratitude

Taking a few moments every day to write down a few things you’re grateful for changes your perspective. The funny thing about this practice is that when you read about it, you think, “It can’t be THAT effective!”

I was exactly the same. But once I started actively practicing gratitude, I felt more in control of my life. A while back, I stopped writing about the things that make me feel grateful. For the first few weeks, I didn’t feel any different.

But after a few months, I noticed that I complained more than usual. I was also more frustrated compared to before. When I started practicing gratitude again, I went back to being consistent. Consistently calm, that is.

Remember that you can also be grateful for things that you didn’t ask for. Be grateful for everything—even the bad things.

2. Don’t take it personally

A lot of our frustration comes from what other people do or say. “OMG! I can’t believe he said that! How does he dare?!”

Well, maybe it’s time to lighten up a bit. We overanalyze every single thing people say and do. Sometimes, people just do dumb things. Not everything people do is personal.

If you want to live a good life, you can’t take everything personally. Understand that there are more important things to life—things like your health, family, and career.

3. Let it out

I’m a big fan of processing your thoughts, experiences, and emotions. We all deal with difficult things in our lives.

A partner that doesn’t listen to you, colleagues who piss you off, a landlord that doesn’t fix the drain, the loud neighbors, you name it. No one’s life is perfect and tranquil.

That’s something we really need to understand. But that took me many years. I always thought that you could achieve some kind of magic place in life where you would have no stress and annoying responsibilities.

But then I grew up. Life is basically one challenge after the other. We can’t let that get the best of us. That’s why we need to let it all out.

All your anger, frustration, anxiety, insecurity—it needs to get out of your system. Whether you do that by journaling, talking to a friend, or going to therapy is your choice. Just make sure you don’t keep all those things inside yourself.

4. Focus on improvement

Look, life’s not always pretty. And we tend to overemphasize the bad times. When we experience a setback or negativity, we blow it up in our minds. “This is the worst thing ever.”

Think about it. Is it really? Or is there a way you can improve your life situation? Because that’s how I like to look at it.

Where you are now is a temporary situation. No matter how good or bad it is—this very moment will pass. Do you realize that?

Because if you do, you know that you have a chance to improve your life. And to me, that’s the best use of your time and energy.

Don’t spend one second on feeling sorry for yourself and focus on what you can do NOW to improve something about your life. It doesn’t even matter what it is.

Go for a walk. Take a shower. Shave. Start a journal. Fix something in your house. Write down some ideas. Set a goal.

You can even do those things while you’re feeling bad. Because that’s not the point. As am I writing this article, I’m not feeling well. I ate something bad two days ago, and I have food poisoning symptoms since yesterday morning.

I feel weak. And yet, I feel better mentally after I wrote this article.

In the back of my mind, I know I will recover. I understand this is a small example and much worse things happen in life. But when you practice a positive attitude on the small stuff, you will be better at dealing with the big stuff.

I like how Napoleon Hill, the author of the famous self-help book, Think And Grow Rich, put it:

“If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.”

It’s unquestionable: Doing small things will make you feel better. But you don’t need to believe me. Just go and do a small thing now and see it for yourself.