‘Electionised’
It’s that time of the year when the stars are shifting, there’s murmur everywhere, people have something/somebody to root for, analysis of persons and political groups are happening on the news channels, and we all are somehow a part of this conundrum. I’m sure you might have guessed what I’m trying to put forth here. Yes! It’s the election season, and we are all electionised.
Well, you might be wondering what this term means, don’t worry, I have coined it, so I should be able to explain it with ease. It’s that time of the political calendar year, when people are reminded about the ultimate power that’s vested in them – Right to vote. I have witnessed two this season: one, the elections that were held in my local constituency; the second one in the international realm, that of the oldest democracy – America. By the time the results for the latter(America) arrived, there was a flurry of messages all over the internet. Good, mostly. Everyone – including me – was rejoicing over the people who had been chosen as ‘the new representatives’.
But what was mostly amusing is people of my country standing alongside Americans in their moment of truth.
This my friends is what I call being ‘Electionised’.
I observed there were people on the Internet who explained the significance of this shift, so to speak. The violence on the streets, racial tensions, lives lost due to the pandemic…Everything that humans had to pay a hefty price for was finally going to end. It was almost as though prayers were answered. I was happy to say the least, and this by the way goes with the fact that on a personal note, I had nothing to do with this activity that had happened thousand of miles away. The results of the American elections barely moved a strand of hair on my head, but I was moved nonetheless, and so were people in my country. This is not particularly wrong or inappropriate, but as a matter of fact it signifies that an event, despite being foreign in the truest sense, was so important to all of us because it assured us that hardships are ought to end, sooner than later.
I was happy to witness the global response to ‘change’. Yes, a phenomenon I have upheld and worshipped for the longest time; and it was celebrated in complete form today.
I was quick to sense that perhaps people are accepting it too, albeit rapidly in the larger context, and gradually in their own lives. A famous man once said, “be the change you wish to see in the world”. And today, majority of them are celebrating change, so I desperately want to believe that they are celebrating the change in them.
Being electionised goes far beyond the fact that we are addressing our right to vote and exercising it. I believe it’s the season of introspection. It’s more of a personal exercise, where in along with choosing the ‘right’ candidate, we subconsciously want to choose what we believe is right for us, regardless of the impact it bears. It’s about the things we wish to see change within ourselves, and instead of reprimanding ourselves for the wrongs, we wish to give ourselves another chance. It is about hope – A hope that we can do better; better than the last time.
Isn’t this a reason good enough to fall in love with this season? It rhymed, hah. I’m good, touchwood. Oh, again.
I love being electionised, what about you?
