RUTHFULLY YOURS

The higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment when they are not met. It is this aspect of the human condition that causes some of us to shun hope, in an attempt to avoid the pain involved when it is dashed. It leads others of us to imagine that our dreams are on the verge of coming true, no matter how remote a possibility it seems at a given moment.

Then there are those of us who move from one category to the other, depending on factors that are likely more internal than external.

Though most of us would like to believe that we are governed by reason rather than temperament, it is probably the above differences that are really at the root of our voting patterns — something that is as good an explanation as any for the mysterious re-election of Barack Obama as president of the U.S.

On the threshold of a new year, and with the Israeli elections a mere three weeks away, it is worth keeping this in mind. This is the period during which we either imagine that things are about to change in some profound way, or believe that the more things change, the more they stay the same — or get worse.

Even if Obama had been defeated in November, Iran would still be on its unfettered way to acquiring nuclear bombs. And no matter who forms and heads the next Israeli government, the Palestinians will still be trying to destroy the Jewish state, and Israel will still be paying lip service to the notion of achieving a “two-state solution.”

This may explain why, over the past couple of weeks, I have encountered a worrisome number of people who claim that they don’t plan on voting in the coming Knesset elections. These include a taxi driver, a massage therapist, a lawyer, a banquet manager, an artist and a teacher — hardly a homogeneous lot.

What each said separately was that politicians can’t be trusted; that they are corrupt on the one hand, and make promises they can’t keep on the other; and that even when we are partial to a particular political party, there is no guarantee that it won’t sell its soul, along with its platform, to forge a coalition deal that enables it to sit in the government.

Hopefully, this does not necessarily mean there will be a low voter turnout. What people say when they’re not enthusiastic is as untrustworthy as the politicians in whom they are disappointed. Nor are polls always reliable.

But a recent Rafi Smith survey sheds light on the malaise that is afflicting the current campaign. What it shows is that most Israelis favor and long for a peace deal with the Palestinians, even at the cost of further territorial concessions. Simultaneously, it indicates that just as many voters do not foresee such a peace deal in their lifetime.

While there are plenty of vociferous people on the political scene and in the media who attribute this sorry state of affairs to Netanyahu specifically and to the Right in general, the vast, more silent, majority acknowledge that the Palestinians’ intransigence is actually to blame.

Where the economy is concerned, there is a similar problem. The middle class isn’t faring well, and the poor are getting poorer. But anyone who understands the workings of the market knows that socialism is not the answer. Still, much of the public concludes that capitalism is at the root of its societal ills. This is in spite of the fact that Israel does not actually have a capitalist economy. It is continually confusing, and contributes to the same low expectations that have been characterizing this election season as a whole.

I, too, have been infected with no small amount of fatalism of late, tending to shun hope — or hope for the best — depending on my mood. I would not go so far, however, as to stay home on election day.

Indeed, abstaining is not an option, and it shouldn’t be for anyone who has the privilege to cast a ballot. This right must never be taken for granted, especially in the Middle East, where we are the only population that does not have to fear being beaten or killed as a result of our choices. Nor need we lose a moment’s sleep about our physical well-being prior to, during, or after the forming of the next government. The worst that can happen on Jan. 22 is that some of us will be disappointed after the votes are counted.

It is thus that my New Year’s resolution — and recommendation to my fellow butchers, bakers and candlestick makers — is to stop taking such a huge gift for granted. The act of choosing our prime minister and Knesset is crucial, regardless of the outcome. This is because it constitutes an internal assertion of our power as individuals, and an external reminder that we are among the world’s lucky few whose rulers are our subordinates.

Ruthie Blum is the author of “To Hell in a Handbasket: Carter, Obama, and the ‘Arab Spring.’”