Its election day here -- local elections that is -- and once again I'm left in a bit of a quandrary. To be blunt, I'm not really sure I have any respect at all for our national political leaders of any colour, and not a great deal for our local politicians, none of whom seem to be particularly focussed on genuine local issues, and who would rather use the opportunity to further push the noisy national agenda of their parent parties. Part of me just can't be bothered to vote. But then, if I don't bother to vote at all, if I disconnect entirely with the political process, then I might as well accept that I have no voice at all.
My favourite piece of political commentary comes from Douglas Adams, who wrote....
[An extraterrestrial robot and spaceship has just landed on earth. The robot steps out of the spaceship...]
"I come in peace," it said, adding after a long moment of further grinding, "take me to your Lizard."
Ford Prefect, of course, had an explanation for this, as he sat with Arthur and watched the nonstop frenetic news reports on television, none of which had anything to say other than to record that the thing had done this amount of damage which was valued at that amount of billions of pounds and had killed this totally other number of people, and then say it again, because the robot was doing nothing more than standing there, swaying very slightly, and emitting short incomprehensible error messages.
"It comes from a very ancient democracy, you see..."
"You mean, it comes from a world of lizards?"
"No," said Ford, who by this time was a little more rational and coherent than he had been, having finally had the coffee forced down him, "nothing so simple. Nothing anything like to straightforward. On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people."
"Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy."
"I did," said ford. "It is."
"So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't the people get rid of the lizards?"
"It honestly doesn't occur to them," said Ford. "They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates to the government they want."
"You mean they actually vote for the lizards?"
"Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course."
"But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?"
"Because if they didn't vote for a lizard," said Ford, "the wrong lizard might get in...."
I guess it often feels like I'm voting to make sure the wrong lizard doesn't get in, all the while not quite being sure who the right and wrong lizard actually is.... and I guess I will continue to struggle with that unless and until a candidate comes along who I can really truly believe in.
The problem is, of course, because those candidates are all human, all flawed, then none of them are ever going to live up to what I really want from a leader. Which is why my true hope is not in our nation or our government, not in any political leader of any persuasion, but in my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the perfect, sinless Son of God, who, one day, is coming back to rule and will do so in perfect fairness, perfect justice and also in perfect love...
But until that day, I have a responsibility, as a Christian, to respect the authority that has been given to our elected officials, even when I disagree with them. To accept that, with all their flaws, their failings, their foibles and issues, its not my place to judge them. I have a responsibility to take part, prayerfully and gratefully in the political process, and above all, to pray for those elected, that they will make decisions which are just, and merciful and good, and which put the needs of the people above their own.
So, I will be voting today, even though to do so I'll be ignoring the slightly bitter taste in my mouth as I pick a lizard for the next few years...
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