Photo by Jason Zeis on Unsplash
How much do fear or anger contribute to voter’s selections in today’s election?  Certainly the media coverage, advertising and campaigning of many of the candidates can trigger emotions in all of us.  Columnist Matt Reed from Florida Today wrote about how some people may rely on fear for credibility.  He concluded based on the research that in politics fear works better than facts.  I would agree with that statement and conclude that decisions are often made from emotion rather than knowledge.  It doesn’t help that we are bombarded with an overabundance of information which adds to our confusion and anxiety.  Just take a look at the shift in support for our current president in two short years.  Barack Obama was the first Democratic president since Lyndon Johnson to win the majority of the popular vote.  Michael Gerson, a syndicated columnist for the Washington Post has concluded that no future political outcome or party is predestined by current trends, demographics, or any other tools of prediction.  Hopefully your voting selections today were based on knowledge, facts, and information, not strictly emotion.  Vote with your mind, not your heart.  Rely less on your reaction to the media blitz and instead gather information about the candidates from a reliable and unbiased source.  Lastly, rely less on our government to change the country and/or your personal situation, instead rely on yourself to improve your life.