Editorial: Tomorrow

Finally, today is Election Day!  It was a relatively brief campaign, so saying “finally” simply expresses the relief that most people are feeling when considering the campaign rhetoric that was on display. No more cussin’ and fightin’, just some serenity in which to vote. As is usual, we do not talk politics on Election Day because that is a no-no! On this very important day, there can be no campaigning of any sort. No one should seek to influence your vote and you should be able to vote in peace, free of any pressure from anyone.
Voting today is all about what we want for tomorrow.  With that in mind, we would like to highlight two of our favourite quotes about ‘tomorrow’ which we believe hold great relevance to how we think about our future, and how we should approach our right and responsibility to vote and participate in our democracy.  The first quote comes from Abraham Lincoln, a man who needs no introduction (hint: he was president of the United States of America). Lincoln said, “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” Most people use these wise words as a way of shrugging-off procrastination and inspiring them to action, but in this anti-procrastination mantra, we also see where those words can easily apply to voting (whether Lincoln meant for that application or not).  
From our perspective, we all have a responsibility to make tomorrow a better day.  We must all work towards creating a better Antigua and Barbuda for everyone and we must all take that responsibility to heart.  Today, that responsibility lies in each eligible person’s right to vote. We have discussed this topic before but we must constantly exercise that right so that it does not atrophy and wither away.  The right to vote is one of those things that we take for granted but there are many people in the world that do not have that freedom to participate in a true democracy. They have no say. We, on the other hand, live in paradise and we must keep our democracy strong so that we do not slide toward an alternative.  So, please vote!
The next quote comes from Malala Yousafzai. Coming from Pakistan, Malala is not as famous as President Lincoln but she is an inspiring modern day character.  She holds the distinction as being the youngest Nobel Prize laureate and is known around the world for her human rights advocacy, especially in the area of women’s education.  She rose to prominence when her bus was hijacked by Taliban gunmen and she was shot and left for dead, in retaliation for her activism. Her life story and her survival has grown into an international movement.  From this extremely brief overview of her life and achievements, you can see why she may have a good outlook on tomorrow.
Malala said, “Let us make our future now, and let us make our dreams tomorrow’s reality.”  That inspiring quote should drive us all to take the time to contemplate what we want for tomorrow.  What are our dreams? What dreams do we want to become reality so that our bit of paradise is a better place every day we wake up.  To whom, do you entrust your dreams? That is the question on Election Day.
Tomorrow represents the future.  Regardless of a person’s situation, they always see tomorrow as ultimately being better than today.  For a lighter take on the potential of tomorrow, we turn to the song aptly named “Tomorrow,” which was made famous in the musical “Annie.” In the musical, the main character, ‘little orphan Annie,’ sees every new day as holding the potential for being better than the day before.  As strange as it sounds, the inspiration comes from tomorrow, just being tomorrow.
Anyone who has seen a powerful rendition of “Tomorrow” can attest to the hair-raising feelings when the performer reaches the chorus of “Tomorrow, tomorrow / I’ll love ya tomorrow / You’re always a day away!”  Feel free to sing along because that tune will now be stuck in your head all day. (Thanks to the music of Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin).
We may have done some romantic meandering thinking about a better tomorrow but the point is this.  We live in a paradise. Our choices today, will affect our tomorrow … so take your time to become informed and get out and vote … for the sake of all the tomorrows still to come.