Doing The Civic Duty

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From Wikipedia:

Constitution Day (or Citizenship Day) is an American federal observance that recognizes the adoption of the United States Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens. It is normally observed on September 17, the day in 1787 that delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document in Philadelphia.

In support of good causes, I'll match and donate 50% of this blog post's final payout to Wikipedia. If you’d rather skip the middleman—like most crypto users prefer—go ahead and donate directly.

Do you think the President writes this stuff, or do they have someone generate it for him to sign off on? It's a proclamation urging people to vote on National Voter Registration Day.

As much as I like to play the nonchalant, shadowy crypto blog writer, even someone like me—who leans toward anarchism—can appreciate the order government brings. What’s more, I hate the idea that things can’t change or that our actions don’t matter. That sense of learned helplessness? It turns me off instantly. If you’re someone who struggles but still tries, I relate to that. Resigning yourself to defeat doesn’t suit anyone.

Now, I’m not especially tied to the history of those who built this country centuries ago. As the son of immigrants, my attachment is to the sacrifices they made. Their choice to come here changed the course of my life—no question about that.

But the two words I hate most? Status quo. Right now, the status quo seems to be indifference. People scroll through garbage on their phones all day—fine. But I refuse to stand for that, and I certainly won’t stand for the re-election of a reality TV star. The only way I can say I made a difference is if I tried. So, before writing this, I filled out my mail-in registration to vote.

I’ll be honest—I haven’t been the most diligent citizen. But if I support digital governance, with its transparency and accountability, then I have to respect the analog system, too. My words can fill up pages online, but only my vote counts when it comes to the people making decisions that affect our lives.

Originally, I was just scrolling to see what today’s holiday was. I haven’t posted daily, but there’s something satisfying about trying to find a reason to celebrate each day. It’s not always easy, and some nights I’m restless. But being mindful of the passing days—and working to make each one count—feels good when I focus.

There will always be time to grind for experience points in games. There will always be lobbies filled with players doing the same thing, over and over.

But there’s something more important I want to share, even though he won’t read this. I owe a heartfelt thanks to Ermias Joseph Asghedom, professionally known as Nipsey Hussle. His creativity and drive introduced me to this speech featured on his mixtape The Marathon Continues. It’s a snippet from Steve Jobs’ commencement speech, where he said:

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people's thinking."

That resonates with me deeply. I can’t answer every question that comes my way. One that still lingers is, “What if...?” Too often, I settle for not knowing. But more often than not, I choose not to settle. I strive.

So, if anyone—including my future self—is reading this, remember what Steve advised: Don’t live with the results of other people’s thinking.

If I were truly diligent, I’d dive deeper into my local legislation. I skimmed through a list of bills my state senators proposed, and it’s mostly good stuff. They don’t mention digital assets anywhere, though. So, it’s on me to bring that to their attention. If Taylor Swift can get people to vote, then maybe it’s all about using your voice, right?

I’m not some official, and I’m not going to lecture you about registering to vote. I know my readers come from different places, so it’s not my place to assume. But I’ll say this: closed mouths don’t get fed. So, open up. Speak up. That’s all I want to say for the close of this post.