A democracy is inherently fragile because there are so many moving parts. It is on life-support much of the time. Those who participate in change by voting are heroes, in my mind, always looking for new opportunities to make their voices heard. This is not an option for them. It’s mandatory.
The divide between exercising one’s legal right not to vote, and the moral obligation to nurture our democracy, is a visceral, historical split, going back to the birth of our country. To dislike politics connotes a level of distrust and suspicion, amplified by social media. To be excited by politics, with or without social media, is to understand that lasting change is a generational or multi-generational effort. It’s not unlike rooting for your favorite sports team, even when you know they haven’t won in a long time and prospects for a future title are dim. You have to hang in with patience. You have to believe in hope.
Cliffhanger: jump before you get pushed looks at our country ten years from now. Politics, from Washington D.C. to high schools throughout the country, are experiencing radical changes as America tries to dig itself out of unforeseen seismic holes. Who are the heroes and who are the villains in 2030? The only constant is surprise.
Michael R. French is a National best-selling author and graduate of Stanford University and Northwestern University. He is a businessman and author who divides his time between Santa Barbara, California, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is an avid high-altitude mountain trekker, world traveler to developing countries, and is a collector of first editions of twentieth-century fiction.
He has published twenty-two books, including fiction, young adult fiction, biographies, and art criticism. His novel, Abingdon's, was a bestseller and a Literary Guild Alternate Selection. His young adult novel, Pursuit, was awarded the California Young Reader Medal.
You can discover more about Michael’s work on his website:
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