I write this post the day after the EU elections 2024. There was a tremendous shift to the right. The progressive parties working toward a better future lost. The conservative, backwards thinking destructive parties won.
It’s migration, stupid
The most important issue for the voters was migration. Which I’ll talk about in the next post. While their fellow citizens fight a real flood of water, they vote against an imaginative flood of migrants. And they do this by voting for parties who do not have any solution for this problem, they are the problem.
But those people aren’t even the ones I am mad about the most. It’s the nonvoters. The ones who kick their privilege of having a say in the nuts. By not taking part in the democratic process, they weaken democracy. They are the greater problem. The extreme right at least participate in democracy. And destroying it that way. Ok, both are bad.
I am angry
You may have noticed, I am angry. I am a democrat (not the party) in heart and soul and ask myself what can I do. What can I do to motivate people to participate, to show them how precious democracy is. The current system is not perfect, as you can read here.
But it is the best we have.
What can I do to save democracy
What can I do? I am not part of a party, I don’t think it is for me. Do I need to try it?
I am a shy introvert, I have problems talking with people. How do I communicate with them?
My thoughts and policies are not the majority. How can I convince others?
I have this blog, but no one reads it. Except you my dear and therefore you have all my love. You are great.
I don’t know yet what I shall do. But I think I and most of us did too little. We need to get our asses up and get dirty. Not that kind of dirty.
A short story
What I did, I wrote a short story. It won’t change anything, and it isn’t even good. Nevertheless, you can read it.
E is excited. He woke up early. That’s unusual. He usually likes to sleep late on Sundays. He likes to sleep late on other days too, or rather, he would like to sleep late, but his parents always wake him up. One reason why he doesn’t like school.
But on Sundays, he can sleep late. His parents are in bed longer, too. Especially if they let themselves go the night before. Maybe they drank a beer or two and were “funny”. E thinks his parents are OK anyway. He knows that they are trapped in their system. They can’t just get out. After all, they want to offer him and his sister a good life. And that seems to only be possible if you work a lot and spend little time with the children.
That’s another reason why he’s so excited. Because today, that’s going to change. Not the good life, but the imprisonment in this system. He, E, will free his parents and everyone else.
He’s waited a long time for this day. When he turned 16 six months ago, today was the greatest gift. But he didn’t know that at the time.
It took another 27 days. Then there was a big argument. The government collapsed. New elections were scheduled. And E knew that he would be allowed to vote for the first time. And he already knew exactly who he would vote for. Or rather, who he would not.
Not the long-established parties. Not those who have created a system that only serves them. No, he will vote for those who promise to do things differently, to do things better.
And many will do the same. He will help shape the future with his vote. He was very proud.
Not everyone at school agreed with him. Some didn’t even care that they were allowed to vote. E didn’t understand that. He thought it was stupid. But secretly, he thought, that’s good. They would vote for the wrong person anyway.
Some teased him because he could hardly talk about anything else. His parents were happy that E was so interested in politics. They don’t share his views, but they think that he is young and will learn.
It is election Sunday. E is up early. He prepares breakfast. He takes a shower and dresses up. Finally, his parents are awake. He urges them to hurry up. The polling stations will open soon. Not that he needs his parents to vote, but they should be there so they can take a photo of him. A selfie doesn’t seem to be enough for this important moment.
The parents wolf down their food, get dressed quickly, and go to the polling station with E. It is a special moment for the parents too, but for them, it would have been a special moment in two hours.
They photograph E in a proud pose in front of the polling station. The three go in, show their ID, make their choice, and go out again. E is beaming. He has voted for the first time. What he doesn’t know is that it will also be his last time.
What will you do
Do you have suggestions, what I can do? What will you do? Let’s make this system good, together.
My name is Ian DeBay.
I am the founder of iandebay.com. I am a content creator, blogger, podcast, YouTuber. This is my blog where I talk about system change, sustainability and other fun stuff.
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