To vote or not to vote?

For many years I didn't bother to vote because logic told me that the probability of my single individual vote making a difference was zero for all practical purposes. So why bother?

I have been told that "if everyone thought like this, we could not have democracy." Which is true, but I can't influence everyone (or even anyone), so this argument doesn't apply to my own, individual action, or lack of it.

Then, when the political landscape got so polarized, with so many bastards running for office, I found my motivation to go out and vote, even though I did not expect my vote to make difference.

I went to vote for one simple reason: the bastards I hated so much, busy destroying my world, wouldn't want me to, so I had to stick it to them by my one, futile gesture of defiance.

I find this reason so compelling that I'll keep voting from now on every chance I have. Each act of defiance will be one tiny personal victory for me and, as such, it is precious.