Today is election day. Here are a few of my thoughts about the UK general election, as it relates to simple and sustainable living.
Politicians and governments do not make a country. It is the people that make a country. The politicians that end up in power and the policies that they peddle are a reflection on the collective choices of the individuals that make up a country. It’s as simple as that.
It is very easy to blame the politicians for the poor state of the country that we live in. Or the immigrants. Or the criminals. It is far harder to admit we might have played a part in the mess. It is partly our mess, caused by our own mistakes. Even if we think we are ‘good people’, doing our best, trying to be responsible citizens, we all make mistakes. We drive when we could walk. We waste a bit of food here, generate unnecessary trash there. None of us are perfect. I am, most definitely, very far from perfect.
Tomorrow the government of England will likely look very different, and there will undoubtedly be many people that are not happy with the outcome. I have friends who told me they would utterly despair if the Conservatives rise to power. I can sympathise.
But that is not the end of the story. There will be another election, and another, and another – the only constant thing in this world is change. That is an encouraging thought – whatever the outcome tomorrow, the possibilities are still endless.
I, for one, am going to take on board the immortal words of Michael Jackson:
“I’m starting with the Man in the Mirror. I’m asking him to change his ways. And no message could have been any clearer. If you wanna make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make a change.”
In the midst of all the noise and complexity of electioneering, I feel that own role in the future of this country is very simple indeed.
