Occasionally people have told me some variation on “What difference does my vote make?” My response is simple. “You vote because you matter. It’s existential.” I think each gesture matters because each individual matters. Hopefully each gesture leads to kindness and easing human suffering. Believing that your vote matters is part of believing that you matter. And you matter because you touch people. So, voting can be seen as reinforcing kindness.

This is not to say that human suffering will go away because we vote for Harris and Walz. In my opinion, Harris hasn’t been critical enough of Netanyahu and the war in Gaza. But as a friend of mine wrote to me, we have to get Harris behind the desk if we want to see any progress. The last several weeks has reinforced the idea Trump is a mean and crazy white racist. As the cover of The New Yorker suggested, his roller coaster is going down. And the Harris Walz roller coaster is going up. If you believe you matter, vote, and I would argue vote for Harris. You might call it enlightened self-interest.