Talking Politics and Throwing Stones
Talking Politics and Throwing Stones
There's a discomfort in the air. Social norms are being challenged in many ways. Some things are uncomfortable to talk about. You know things. Religion and politics. Most people avoid it in public, but have no problem espousing their political views on the internet. It's easy to express yourself into a screen into the either. A signal within the noise and/or visa versa.Politics can reveal what a person values. It can bring about how they view the world around them and how they possibly act. Most people with political views tend to stay in their own heads and not integrate what they throw out on the internet with reckless abandon. There are some juicy nuggets in there though. Of course there are people that vote, but seemingly most of the population uses the act of voting as some type of ritual to make them feel like they are making a difference within a system they think they have any pull. But hey, if voting gives you a sense of purpose and value who is anyone else to say that what you are doing is bad? Well you are legitimizing the system by participating in it, but that's another conversation.
Allowing people to speak about their political views can let you understand where the person is at mentally, emotionally and dare I say spiritually. It's not about judging person's view, but rather igniting a sense of curiosity to dig deeper in their psyche. The best route is to ask questions and really see where it leads. Sometimes they might not have everything figured out. They might not even know WHY they have their particular political views in the first place. Most political views don't require the necessity of critical thinking, but rather the ability to repeat things they have read or heard that resonate with them mentally and emotionally. Most people hold political views that make them think they are a better person or at least attempting to make the world a better place. Most will even fall into a vicious paradigm where the other side becomes the “evil” side even when they can proving sufficient evidence for why they are "evil" in the first place.
You reform your views when listening to competing views. When you just stay in your own echo chamber there tends to be stagnation and less intellectual growth. Get challenged.
In a time of political division, listening and questioning can be an act of love and service. The more you can get to the root of what people think they believe, the more you can start to see how you perceive others. It's an important exercise in growth even if it's an uncomfortable task. It's certainly better than arguing with people with hours on end. This tends to work better in person. The comments section tends to lead to miscommunication and misconceptions. When you have someone in the flesh, it is harder for them to leave or misunderstand you. The realness of conversation is enlightening.
In a time of political division, listening and questioning can be an act of love and service. The more you can get to the root of what people think they believe, the more you can start to see how you perceive others. It's an important exercise in growth even if it's an uncomfortable task. It's certainly better than arguing with people with hours on end. This tends to work better in person. The comments section tends to lead to miscommunication and misconceptions. When you have someone in the flesh, it is harder for them to leave or misunderstand you. The realness of conversation is enlightening.
Will you choose courage over comfort?
If people voice that they don't want to talk about politics then that is on them. But you can always ask why? Make it a no pressure type of situation. There is of course plenty of other things to talk about. If you are paying attention to what makes the other person passionate, talk about that more. It's a safer route.
We like to put limits on ourselves to avoid confrontation and discomfort when those limits can turn into portals for learning about ourselves. We are like mirrors. How can we refine what we think of the world if we aren't willing to challenge our own conditioned ideas? Are we so afraid that we might be wrong? Are we somehow trying to maintain some type of tribal allegiance to one side or party? How silly. We may think we are on the "right side of history", but in actuality we might be more misinformed than we think we are. We are bombarded with data and content on the data on daily basis attempting to pull or push us in a certain direction. The propaganda always serves a purpose. It's like a baby that craves your attention, obedience and complicity.
What we value is important. It can bind us or break us in everyday relationships. Politics isn’t everything, but it does function as a possible opening and opportunity. Politics have lead to political identities that tend to serve as a some type of personal signifier of virtue and purpose. When you find someone that is politically aligned with you may even get excited or feel a sense of tribal loyalty. Great minds may think alike, but ideological minds tend to think the same or not really even “think” at all. When you get so wrapped up with a political identity you tend to lose the nuances of yourself. You embody a distorted perception of your own image. It can almost be a wall or a sense of escape. The grasping to political identity can stop you from hearing our competing views, facts and opinions. You may think your are more tolerant, but in actuality you are into building yourself into a corner of stagnation and ideological defensiveness.
A good way to break a political paradigm and expand your mind is trying to make the best case for the “other side” from which you align. A conservative can really make the case for a liberal or democrat in order to understand how they think, debate and act in the world. The more your try to understand with an open mind, the more you will expand your comprehension and compassion for the vast political spectrum. Make the case for the case you would rather not make. It might surprise you and it will most definitely inform you.
If something makes political makes you more emotional or defensive, take a step back and look at it. The teaching is in that discomfort. That is an opportunity for growth and humility. Instead of folding your ego into a frazzle of emotional political reaction, you can learn and see why you are feeling that in the first place. The good thing is that it’s not all about you. It never was and probably never will be unless of course you run for an office of power. Then that changes things because you are choosing to enter the realm of the political as a means of gaining power and enforcing your will on others. The seeking of political power could possibly lead to good things, but most of the time it’s a game of ego preservation and broken promises. Prices are paid for people that try to do the best for society, but fail to do some from institutional rot and political allegiance. One must ask why someone would want to pursue a position of political power in the first place in order to understand the desires and intentions of others. We can only know so much of what people value by how they act them out in the world around them.
If people voice that they don't want to talk about politics then that is on them. But you can always ask why? Make it a no pressure type of situation. There is of course plenty of other things to talk about. If you are paying attention to what makes the other person passionate, talk about that more. It's a safer route.
We like to put limits on ourselves to avoid confrontation and discomfort when those limits can turn into portals for learning about ourselves. We are like mirrors. How can we refine what we think of the world if we aren't willing to challenge our own conditioned ideas? Are we so afraid that we might be wrong? Are we somehow trying to maintain some type of tribal allegiance to one side or party? How silly. We may think we are on the "right side of history", but in actuality we might be more misinformed than we think we are. We are bombarded with data and content on the data on daily basis attempting to pull or push us in a certain direction. The propaganda always serves a purpose. It's like a baby that craves your attention, obedience and complicity.
What we value is important. It can bind us or break us in everyday relationships. Politics isn’t everything, but it does function as a possible opening and opportunity. Politics have lead to political identities that tend to serve as a some type of personal signifier of virtue and purpose. When you find someone that is politically aligned with you may even get excited or feel a sense of tribal loyalty. Great minds may think alike, but ideological minds tend to think the same or not really even “think” at all. When you get so wrapped up with a political identity you tend to lose the nuances of yourself. You embody a distorted perception of your own image. It can almost be a wall or a sense of escape. The grasping to political identity can stop you from hearing our competing views, facts and opinions. You may think your are more tolerant, but in actuality you are into building yourself into a corner of stagnation and ideological defensiveness.
A good way to break a political paradigm and expand your mind is trying to make the best case for the “other side” from which you align. A conservative can really make the case for a liberal or democrat in order to understand how they think, debate and act in the world. The more your try to understand with an open mind, the more you will expand your comprehension and compassion for the vast political spectrum. Make the case for the case you would rather not make. It might surprise you and it will most definitely inform you.
If something makes political makes you more emotional or defensive, take a step back and look at it. The teaching is in that discomfort. That is an opportunity for growth and humility. Instead of folding your ego into a frazzle of emotional political reaction, you can learn and see why you are feeling that in the first place. The good thing is that it’s not all about you. It never was and probably never will be unless of course you run for an office of power. Then that changes things because you are choosing to enter the realm of the political as a means of gaining power and enforcing your will on others. The seeking of political power could possibly lead to good things, but most of the time it’s a game of ego preservation and broken promises. Prices are paid for people that try to do the best for society, but fail to do some from institutional rot and political allegiance. One must ask why someone would want to pursue a position of political power in the first place in order to understand the desires and intentions of others. We can only know so much of what people value by how they act them out in the world around them.
One of the best thing you can do is to foster small communities with a vide variety of skill sets and backgrounds They can all have different political views, but at the end of the day it is more about how you act than how you think the world should look politically. Raise up your tribe with your own vibe and the tribe will certainly do the same for you. Now that is a relationship that doesn't require force, coercion, lobbying or campaigning. Real people helping real people.
DG
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