A Little Perspective To Start Your Monday....

If your morning was anything like mine, it was filled with a long commute (complete with traffic and the occasional horn-honk), lukewarm coffee, and absolutely nothing on the radio. These types of mornings seem almost like a trendsetter for your whole day... But once in a while, you see or hear something that snaps you back into reality and motivates you to fill this day with ambition and intensity! Thankfully for me, TODAY was my day...

Rarely known is that America is not the largest Democracy ; at 814 million eligible voters (roughly about 3 times the population of Canada), India is officially the largest open Democracy on the globe. Because of their incredible population, it will take the country the next 5 weeks to service all of its voters.  

The voters who stand in lines to cast their vote range in age and occupation, from 36 year old housewives, to elderly villagers who patiently wait in the sweltering Indian heat to young teenagers who have only recently reached the age to vote. Around them there are monks standing under pastel colored parasols and music being played as many dance and sing in the town square; this is a celebration. India has been a country and economy in turmoil for years, with many of their leaders in Parliament beholdent to industries and special interests. But this elections marks a reckoning in Indian politics - and their excitement and thankfulness for this opportunity leads them to set up the poling station in their holy city of Varanasi. 

These citizens are so excited to make their own choice and have freedom to express their wishes, that while they vote they'll celebrate! They are so thankful for the opportunity... How beautiful is that? So many times in America we take the biggest freedoms for granted. We choose not to vote in all the elections because we're too busy or have "better things to do". When we look at it in retrospect though, how are we affecting the next generations of voters and patriots? When our children see us pass the polling places that are adorned in red, white and blue - what are they to think? What example are we setting them? That the men and women who died for our right to exercise this incredible privilege did so in vane? Our children, and the young people of the upcoming generations are the ones who are going to be leading this nation in a few short years. We need to instill in them at young ages to be grateful for the country and freedoms we have. And we need to explain to them that these freedoms arnt free, an d that they came with a hefty price that has been payed for hundreds of years. 

Hopefully during you're next car ride with your kids, grandkids or siblings, you can tell them about the group of men who met in secret, fear of being discovered under punishment of death for treason against the King, who decided that we could have something incredible. That we could help the world by helping ourselves, and the we had the ability to make our own choices. And maybe while you're at it, you can take a second to tell them about the celebrations happening in the holy city of Varanasi, India and the incredible duty their citizens are fulfilling with joyful hearts.