In the Old Testament we find one of the most horrendous acts of stupidity committed by a man named Esau. Esau was the elder son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham, the father of the Jewish Faith. Being the elder son of Isaac, Esau was entitled to inherit the double portion of the family’s inheritance. In Jewish culture and tradition, this birthright of the firstborn was deeply revered and considered very precious and significant.
One day, Esau was out hunting and he was completely depleted and famished. When he came home he saw his younger brother Jacob cooking a stew in a pot. Esau could smell the aroma of the stew in the air and as he was famished, totally exhausted and about to pass out, he requested his younger brother to give him some of the stew. Instead of feeling pity for his elder brother and feeding him, Jacob decided to take advantage of the situation and told Esau that he would give him something to eat only if he agrees to give away his birthright (of the firstborn) to him. It was an unimaginable and most dirty trick played by a younger brother on his own elder brother.
Esau should have been wise enough to reject the offer straight away because it was a most unfair deal by any standard. How could somebody trade away something as valuable as the birthright of the firstborn for a mere soup of hot stew? Only a fool would agree to such a proposal. How could somebody agree to give away something which was deeply revered and cherished in one’s culture and tradition and which has great spiritual value for such a temporary pleasure as eating a hot stew?
But Esau was either too naive or too irresponsible that he agreed to his brother’s proposal. It was horrendous and unimaginable. Esau might have been famished and depleted. But the scripture says that Esau was a skillful hunter and so it was just a matter of time before he goes out and hunts something for himself. So how could he possibly trade away something so valuable and permanent for something so cheap and temporary?
We may laugh at Esau and ridicule his behavior when we read his story. But the truth is that many Nagas act so recklessly like Esau during election times. We live in the so-called biggest democracy of the world. And in a democracy, it is the vote of the citizens that brings a government to power. In other words, it is the people themselves who choose, through their votes, who they would like to rule and run their affairs and determine their lives for a certain period of time. So, in a democracy, what could be more important or decisive than the votes of the citizens? But unfortunately, many Nagas, like Esau, do not hesitate to trade away something so valuable and decisive for a few thousand bucks during election times. It is nothing short of exchanging one’s birthright for a hot soup of stew.
During election times, many laws and regulations are put in place by the concerned authorities to ensure a free and fair poll. For example, the so-called model of conduct is enforced to ensure that no sinister activities are carried out during elections.
Likewise, huge para-military forces are deployed in every nook and corner to counter unsavory elements. Last minute trainings and seminars are carried out to enlighten and train the concerned people on the electioneering process. Countless vehicles (both government and private) are requisitioned for use. And everybody dreads and fears election duty because strict disciplinary actions are initiated against defaulters.
From all these, we can safely conclude that nothing is more crucial and decisive than elections in a democracy. And in an election, it is the vote of the citizens that determines and decides everything. Our votes decide who would run our affairs for the next five years. Our votes will decide what kind of amenities we will have. Our votes will decide what kind of policies will mould our children in their schools and colleges. Our votes will decide what kind of hospitals and medical facilities will cater to us in times of need. In other words, it is our vote that will decide every aspect of our lives.
So it is high time that we truly realize the enormity of the power of our votes and cast out votes judiciously without any pressure, prejudice or bias. It should be an independent decision after taking into consideration everything that we see around us. We can expect to see some real change only when we truly realize the value of our votes and do not trade it away for some mere temporary gains and gratifications.
Remember that selling away your vote is just like Esau trading away his birthright for a bowl of hot stew. Be wise and vote for the ones whom you think can deliver on their promises. Do not be carried away by the propaganda that is in full swing during this time. You may enjoy the hot stew today but the people who give you the stew now may not even remember your name for the next five years once they got your vote.
You may be famished or exhausted like Esau in certain areas of your life. But it would be wise to realize that to get out of one’s misery and misfortune is certainly not by trading away one’s most valuable political right for some mere currency which would disappear within no time. To bring about lasting solutions to one’s problems, one has to think about taking steps and actions that would be able to sustain oneself and one’s family through the ups and downs of life. And certainly, trading away one’s valuable voting right for a mere sum of currency during election times will not bring about any worthy solution to any man’s problems.
Here, Esau may try to argue by saying that he traded away his birthright because he was famished and about to die due to hunger. Okay, he might have been physically depleted and famished but the solution to this was very simple and very near to him. As stated above, the scripture says that Esau was a skillful hunter. So it was just a matter of time before he goes out and hunts some animals and eats it to his heart’s content.
During election times, when free currency is offered to you in exchange for your vote, the allure may be too tempting to ignore. One may also think “what does it matter who comes to power” or “what is the harm if I take this money”. But the truth is that so much is at stake. And it is our vote that holds the key. And maybe, this is why it is said, “you may not be interested in politics but politics is interested in you”. And politicians do know that it is the vote of the citizens that would decide their fate, destiny, glory or ignominy. And this is why they are all out to get it by hook or by crook.
Since we began this discourse with the story of Esau it would be befitting to end with his story again. After his younger brother Jacob tricked him of his birthright, if Esau thought that Jacob would not repeat the offence again, he would be proven wrong. The truth is that Jacob was a deceiver and he would not hesitate to deceive his brother again to move ahead in life.
When their father Isaac was an old man and about to die, he sent for his eldest son Esau in order to give him the blessing that belonged to the firstborn of the family. In Jewish culture and tradition, this was something extremely valued and revered as it sets the firstborn apart from the other siblings and gives the firstborn a double portion of the family’s inheritance. Now when Jacob came to know of this, he, at the prompting of his mother Rebecca, dressed up as Esau and entered the room where their father was waiting and tricked his father into giving him the blessing of the firstborn that belonged to his elder brother Esau.
So what we can gather from this is that anything that starts in deceit will be followed by more deceits and trickery if the victims to not become wise and take the right steps at appropriate times. So if anybody tries to trick you to sell your vote, it simply means that the deceit and trickery will continue even after elections. And yes, it is unfortunate that despite knowing all these debauchery, many still consciously or subconsciously fall prey to these menaces time and time again……as if they have learnt nothing from the past…….
