Ecology sees our world as an ever-changing web of energy and matter. Patterns appear and disappear. Life grows and dies. We look at our world through lenses, each lens illuminates an aspect of the whole. These notes, inspired by the I Ching, look at a selection of contrasting ideas which can help us to act mindfully in our world.

Power

The next Devon County Council elections will take place in 6 May 2021, for 60 County Councillors. It is only since 1928 that all women and men aged of 21 or over have been able to vote in UK elections, and only since 1969 that the age limit was extended to 18. Yet how many of us actually vote in these elections? In the last County Council elections in 2017, only 47.5% of people voted in the Exeter division of Duryard and Pennsylvania, and this was the highest turnout. The lowest turnout was in Feniton and Honiton where only 27.1% of the electorate voted.

Many people in the world do not have the privileges that we have in the UK. Many people do not have the privilege to vote. You can register to vote online at https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote 

Knowledge

“We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery because whilst others might free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind. Mind is your only ruler, sovereign. The man who is not able to develop and use his mind is bound to be the slave of the other man who uses his mind” Marcus Garvey

We face choices when we vote. Thousands of issues affect our daily lives, yet on a ballot paper there may be only four or five names. Find out about your candidates and the issues that they stand for. They may be supported by a national political party, but local politics is often about local issues. How much have your candidates done for your area?

Knowledge can be gained in many ways, through TV or newspapers, through the internet and social media. We are sometimes bombarded with too much information. How do we make sense of it all? Who chooses what issues appear on the TV news? Who chooses which posts appear in our social media feeds? Talk to family, friends and neighbours, you don’t have to agree with their ideas, but they will give you fresh perspectives.

Power and Knowledge

With knowledge you find that power is not just exercised in council chambers and government offices. Politicians speak of grass-roots support because the everyday actions of people are just as important.

There are many ways that we all have voices in Devon. The Devon County Council elections are one of those ways. Register to vote. Find out about the issues that affect you in Devon. Exercise your democratic right to vote.

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This article was published on page 24 in issue #71 of ReConnect Magazine

http://reconnectonline.co.uk/back-issues/ 

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