Sometimes it's Tough to Watch People Trying to do the Right Thing --
After following the (scant) news on the elections in Afghanistan that took place a couple of weeks ago, I decided to reach out to my Afghan Facebook friends to see how they were doing. Had the violence been bad at their polling places? Had they been scared/nervous? Had security forces treated them well? I didn't know what to expect, but I wanted something -- some indication that the Afghan people, for whom my family and I had sacrificed so much, were committed to a transition of power within the rule of law.So what answers did I get? That the elections were hard, but worth it. That they want their nation to succeed. That they want responsible leadership that will take them from violence and conflict, to peace and stability. And that they want everything we want -- a chance to live ordinary lives with hope and security.
To get this, my Afghan friends were willing to risk it all. They voted. They put their trust in the rule of law and in the end, they tried to do the right thing. This picture says a thousand words.
These stories break my heart in several ways: 1/ its so humbling to see that people all over the world literally put their lives on the line to vote-something we as Americans take for granted, and 2/ we Americans take it so for granted that we can't be bothered to exercise this right...I'm reminded of the first Afghan election--where women went to the polls in burial shrouds, so convinced that they would be killed as they tried to vote-but completely willing to die trying. My 70+ year old Mom was thrilled" "Aren't they SOMETHING??" she said...(as only an Irishwoman would)..as she sent me similar pics of shrouded women holding up their ink-stained index fingers. I think stories such as these resonated with women her age-who had Mothers who remembered when women were finally allowed to vote in this country---Its not quite 100 years since white women were allowed to vote here--so how do we translate that into an active voting population here that would serve as an inspiration to the parts of the world who aspire to emulate us-to trust in the rule of law-to trust that our elected representatives will try to do the right thing for the country vs their party..to recreate a rule of law culture that can serve as a model for the world?
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