X Why vote? Ox » Aletter to my younger self Rommel Cadag Contributor Yr must’ve heard that there is a federal election coming up. Either you're getting inundated by political ads through your newsfeed or the older folks around you are talking about it—their voices tinged with a mix of indignation, concern, and frustration. You look at the media surrounding the elections, and you see how ugly it can be. Salacious scandals, social media trolls, and tales of broken promises; it drones on and on. You wonder what this has to do with you. You must start “adulting” soon. That entails finding a job—or the alternative— going back to school in order to find an even better paying job. That’s what “adults” do, after all. That process itself can be daunting. Sprinkle in some social life, a touch of hobbies, a tinge of other miscellaneous responsibilities, and you will certainly feel overwhelmed. And now, since there’s an election coming up, you're expected to fulfill your civic duty to partake in something that for most of your life seemed to exist in the periphery. So why vote? Why care for that matter? Because you matter; your voice matters. And yes, I am well aware of how cheesy that sounds—but it needs to be said. Back in high school, history just meant dates and names and how many of those you could pack into your head and regurgitate on an exam sheet come assessment time. But upon closer examination, history reveals the “two steps forward, one step backward” progress of humanity as a whole. It talks about how rulers governed, how technologies invented, how wars were fought, how nations formed, and how rights were painfully earned. One of the rights fought for and earned is the right to vote—the ability to coerce how your leaders will act regarding various sociopolitical issues. It’s easy to take for granted something we've always had. It’s common to forget that in Canada, universal suffrage for all adults, including women and minorities, was guaranteed in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms only in 1982. That isn’t a Have an idea for a story? M opinions@theotherpress.ca far-off memory. It took time and effort to get there, and it’s a travesty to squander something that your forebears fought so hard for. “That’s all well and good, but what’s one drop of water in an ocean?” is what conventional wisdom might say. In the vastness of, well, everything, it’s common to feel helpless. When the scale gets dialed up to eleven, it’s a simple feat to justify inaction. Looking at the bottom line, your efforts won't matter anyway—one vote in a country of millions. But conventional wisdom is wrong in this regard. History has taught us that change can start with one person. Rosa Parks could’ve just stayed where she was required to stay by law—at the back of the bus. It would’ve been easier. But she didn’t. Momentum has to start somewhere. Someone needs to look at inevitability right in the eye and call its bluff. Kobayashi Maru be damned. Call it being irrational; call it faith; call it hope. Compared to civil e Everyone should travel solo ¢ Baby not on board e A letter to my younger self ..and more disobedience, voting doesn’t seem so hard now, does it? Voting, in this case, becomes a matter of self-efficacy. Do you believe that you are capable of exerting control over yourself and your environment? The baby boomers have had their fill. You get to inherit the Earth that they will leave to you. Voting is the first small step—so take it, and ensure you are heard. Do it to boost your confidence in your ability to affect change. And finally, vote so you can rightfully take your place as a citizen of a democratic nation. Illustration by Cara Seccafien Baby not on board » How old is too old for child-rearing? Jessica Berget Editor-in-Chief Reo more and more women are opting to have children later in their lives. According to Statistics Canada, women are now starting to have children in their thirties more often. The average age of mothers having first-borns was recorded at 30.3 in British Columbia in 2016, the highest in any province. With how busy many people are these days it’s perfectly normal to start having kids when youre older. However, I think that deciding to start a family when youre pushing the late thirties, forties, or even fifties is not a good idea for you or your child. The fact is, the older you get, the more fertility problems you may experience. These issues have no gender, they can happen both with men and women. According to the American Pregnancy Society, women older than 35 have difficulties getting pregnant because ovulation is less frequent. Miscarriage is also more common at this age because of the increased chromosomal abnormalities—zo to 35 percent of pregnancies in older women than end this way. Men over 40 are at risk of having children with developmental disorders such as autism, or even stillbirths, an article by The New York Times explains. Other consequences of men’s aging on a child include congenital diseases and psychiatric disorders. Another reason I think people should avoid having children past age 40 is that you might be reaching maturity during your child’s most important years. When your kid is starting high school or college, you might be well into your sixties or even seventies. As they get older and decide to start having kids of their own, you may be a senior. In an article by the Huffington Post, one mother echoes these notions with her decision to have a child at age forty. “I regret not thinking about the fact that I will be in my ‘60s when my son goes to college. When we are gone, my husband and I think deeply about his being alone in the world, without a sibling and that we may not ever see him marry the love of his life. It weighs heavy every single day. I know I can’t speak for anyone else, but | regret waiting.” Sometimes though, life just happens. Maybe you didn’t have the time, energy, resources, or right partner to think about having a child, but you knew you wanted to have one in the future. Sometimes you have no choice but to have a baby when you're past your thirties. There is a simple solution for people thinking about having children eventually. According to USA Today, fertility doctors recommend freezing your eggs while youre still young—but this requires some serious hindsight. I would think adoption is also a viable solution to cure the baby fever when you're past your forties and worried about pregnancy complications. You don’t have to go through the stress of pregnancy or deal with any of the fertility problems that might happen, and you are giving a parentless child a chance to be a part of a family. Then again, not everyone is savvy with adoption. This is not to say there are zero benefits to having a baby at an older age. Perhaps you will be more financially stable or have an established career (and therefore more time to spend with your child). One study says that older maternal age may be associated to an increased life span. However, you should always consider the risks and be prepared to deal with any complications that might arise—or the fact that you may be too old to help your child navigate adulthood.