Politics

What do you do if your friend has different political views? Do you not talk about politics? Do you agree to disagree? It certainly would be easier to ignore the differences, or attempt to laugh them off but you will realize that liberal and conservative sterotypes - no matter how easily they come out of your mouth - don't apply so easily to people you love. But if anything could motivate people to find common groupd, it's love. It is difficult to talk about what is most important to you with family members and loved ones of different polictical bent. An ability to see things from the other perspective is crucial to confronting the volatile realities of the world and our country's troubling role in it. If politics is about how to best live together within the nation, and with other peoples around the globe, perhaps citizens and politicians alike could take inspiration from the most basic rules of engagement in our most intimate relationsihps: Listen closely, show respect, participate willingly in difficult conversations, remember that neither attacks nor defensiveness do much good when you're aiming for real communication, disagree lovingly, and celebrate each other's strengths and humanity.