Yes, today is St. Patrick’s Day. It is also the day that, in a humorous bent, many people refer to each other as Irish-Americans in the U.S., as an inclusive way to harmonize with other festivity-goers for the holiday.

For me, however, it holds a deeper significance, since it reminds me of why I participate as a voter in the election process and why I try to stay current on a lot of local, state, and federal politics as it pertains to the people. Today in particular is the twentieth year anniversary of the day when I was sworn in as an American citizen. During the swearing ceremony, the judge went on record, in a jovial manner, to say that everybody being sworn in was decreed to be Irish-Americans and, like all Americans, would be expected to uphold the laws of the nation and are granted the privileges to participate in its governance. Since then, I have certainly kept myself as informed as possible about the current events and spent my time at the polling stations like all of my other comrade voters.

However, I’ve also overheard plenty of people who have grumbled about how “lousy” things are going for them because of politicians and their various hijinks and misadventures– quite reminiscent of the same chatter that reality TV shows frequently garner around the water cooler. But then these same complainers proudly proclaim that they do not vote because they do not want to waste their time voting for things that “do not matter” to them.

Unlike many of these individuals, I was not born into American citizenship; instead, I had earn it through the lengthy naturalization process and, through that process, I learned how precious and valuable that citizenship is. So, while today is one of festivity and to commemorate Saint Patrick (who was also not a native of the country that he is well-known for proselytizing in)… it is also a solemn day for me to reflect upon the American political process and how citizenship can impact how the nation functions.