Reading in Ether

Not that anybody really cares to hear from me but I figured this is as good a spot as any to post something I thought of while reading the scriptures tonight. I was reading in Ether 6 when the Jaredites arrive on the promised land. They began to live and decided that they needed to form a sort of government with which to rule their people. Sadly, they chose to have a king. This was advised against by Jared and his brother yet they continued with their choice. While their choice of king was a righteous man, this decision ultimately led to their downfall. A few things I learned here, these people gave up some of their rights when they elected to have a king. Generally it's not a good idea to give away your rights.

More importantly I learned, that our votes, however they manifest themselves, in life really matter and that we are accountable for who/what we vote for or if we fail to vote. Not necessarily voting, that may be a bad term, more along the lines of making our wills known. If we fail to do so I think we are held accountable for the difference we could make. We read often about the will of the people choosing good or evil, I think that is the essence of it. Do we choose good or evil, this is not in any reference to a political party or candidate but more that we have our duty to make our voices heard and let our will be known. I am grateful that we have the opportunity in this country to do so. I am grateful for our liberties and freedoms. We are remiss if we do not do everything we can to shape a better life and country with these blessings.