Vote — for your own good

Each fall, public service announcements abound about "getting out to vote."

We are told we should vote because it's a privilege.

We are told it's an obligation — a duty.

We are told the republic needs voters in order to survive.

And all that may be true. But maybe the most important reason to vote is for your own peace of mind.

We need to vote — for ourselves.

When Americans vote, they belong to something bigger than themselves. And that always brings perspective.

It's no great revelation that America has splintered in recent years. Many neo-cons feel they are a "government in exile." Many Hispanics feel threatened and marginalized. Various religions struggle for validation. Divisions in income and taste have almost created a tribal America.

And in such a divided nation, there remain few places where all Americans still find themselves on the same page.

The ballot is one page where they can.

Just showing up at the polls, seeing the precinct workers, hearing the conversations and seeing the variety of people can do a great deal for one's peace of mind. It can help you realize touchstones still exist where Americans are Americans first.

It was President Lyndon Johnson who said the vote was the most "powerful instrument ever" for destroying the terrible walls that imprison people because they are different from others.

There are few places in the United States where people still feel united. But the voting booth is one, regardless of how one casts a vote.

Vote because it's your responsibility, or because it's a gift or because — as the old saying goes — "Bad people are sent to Washington (or city hall) by good people who don't vote."

But also get out to the polls for yourself.

Something about the physical act of casting a vote is often enough to soften a person's edges and bring a feeling of empowerment.

Vote — it's good for mental health.

Ayn Rand said, "The smallest minority on earth is the individual."

And casting a ballot can help that tiny "minority" feel a little less disenfranchised and a lot more a part of the culture and the country.