We were all taught that democracy is good and is something worth fighting for. If we don't do our civic duty then we are shamed. But what is a vote really all about and is it as powerful and significant as our leaders say it is?
I used to hold classes each week and one time I asked the group if anybody had a really nice, expensive vehicle. Usually somebody did and I would ask how much the vehicle was worth. Some went up to as high as $60,000. So my next question was the the whole group: "All in favor of taking the vehicle, selling it and splitting the proceeds - raise your hands."
Most people put up their hand, except for the individual who just had their vehicle taken and split up with those in the room. This is democracy. This is mob rule. The majority may seem like a reasonable way to govern, but it is always done at the expense of the minority.
In my book 'Graduating Life with Honours' I wrote about what voting is, which you can find in chapter 2 here on Steemit.
Most people view voting as an opportunity to choose which representative will go to parliament to make decisions on their behalf. What most people don't realize is that this simple act of voting is, in fact, a form of granting their own power and authority to a representative through a power of attorney. Because the individuals' authority was handed over to somebody else, that representative now has the authority to exercise the individual's power, leaving the individual with no voice. Granted this power of attorney is usually limited to a term of 5 years, but it is still a very powerful instrument that is not fully understood by those who vote. Even the courts have ruled that once the authority has been granted to the representative, the representative has no duty or obligation to the individual who cast their vote. What is even more disturbing is that you may not have even liked the representative and in turn you voted for somebody else. The fact that you participated is enough for the representative who won the election to then assume all authority for all the constituents no matter who they voted for.
To make matters worse, after the election the representative then swears an oath of allegiance to the Queen rather than to the people who sent him / her to Ottawa. So rather than serving the people, they now serve the Queen. This is where things really get dicey. The Queen claims a monopoly on coercive and force through her military and her courts. The Governor General is the head of the military to protect the Queens interests. The Governor General also has multiple courts to keep order and ensure that the people are obedient. He does that through the Supreme Court of Canada, Parliament and other lower courts. Yes, Parliament is a court and is treated as one. It's purpose is to control the will of the people through the representatives that they send to sit in the court. The Governor General will then invite key individuals from the winning party into his / her court known as the Privy council so that they can then minister to the Governor General and the Queen. This is where the Queens secrets are kept and the real decisions are made.
Old Bailey Lady of Liberty. Sword pointing up represents courts coercive power
So what does this all really mean? We end up with a bunch of elite individuals who have recognized that they can manipulate people into participating in a system where the individuals surrender their powers to a centralized authority that can use coercion and force to push through specific agendas and objectives. This allows these elite individuals to then profit from this system and ensure that the minorities are silenced and the majority feels like they are making a difference.
When an individual registers to vote they are engaging in an attempt to control the coercive power of the court as a majority over the minority. The actual violent act may be engaged by others within the system when these individuals act with the authority granted to them by the Queen and the power granted to them by those who voted. By participating in the system, the individual consent to be governed by that system and consent to any coercion or violence that may result from that system. Any violence or coercion is then on the hands of those who perpetuated it AND by the individuals who voted!
By refusing to vote or participate in that system, we can retain our power and authority for ourselves without surrendering or granting it to others. It is this action that prevents us from being a party to the violence that others engage in.
In reality, the simple pencil sitting in the booth wields a tremendous amount of violence without the voter being consciously aware of it. For this reason, I refuse to participate or vote. I declared peace and a peaceful individual cannot and will not participate in violence against his or her fellow brothers and sisters.