It’s so frustrating to hear people talk Politics these days. The conversations have become so emotional that very little good comes from it. Facebook seems to be the place where a lot of this happens which is fine, but things spin out of control pretty fast so what’s the problem?

• People post stuff that is very inflammatory and lacks any support from actual facts so the audience shuts down before they get done reading what’s been written.
• The intention behind what’s written isn’t to spark a healthy conversation, it’s to troll the other side and piss people off.
• When the conversation breaks down, the name calling begins so LOOK OUT.
• Participants aren’t engaged to learn anything. They aren’t even listening really. They are just trying to make their point and ONE UP the losers they are up against.
• When you KNOW you are right you leave very little room for empathy, and when you stop trying to understand the opposing view, you prevent a healthy dialogue.

Two very good friends of mine, Sean and Sarah Bergman, invited me to dinner around the time of the last Presidential election. We all had questions about different things so we decided we would order a few-okay maybe it was three-bottles of wine and figure it all out. We didn’t change each other’s minds on everything, but we did leave that dinner understanding where the other side was coming from. Most importantly, we left that meal even better friends; love those guys.

Remember this…politicians want you to hate the other side because when you do, they can raise money. If they keep us angry at each other, then there is less attention and oversight on what they are up to in DC. Why is it that we can’t agree to disagree? For all of you politicians, television pundits, talk radio personalities, professional athletes, and assorted celebrities I say get a freaking grip. Act like the adult in the room and understand that you have the ability to bring people together. Let’s not stop there, we all have that ability so why don’t we spend our time looking for common ground and solutions!

Do me a favor if you are somebody that gets into it with friends and family ask yourself if it’s really worth the loss of a relationship. I have family members and friends that I don’t agree with when it comes to this stuff so you know how I handle them? I find other things to talk about because I know I’m NOT going to change their mind so what’s the point? Their friendship is way more important than the politics of the day. If you need to be right on this stuff then you NEED to check yourself. I’m not saying to stay home and keep your passion to yourself but avoid these topics with the people closest to you if you don’t agree with what’s happening out there, volunteer to knock on doors for your party and get out the vote. That’s the only way you will see change happen anyway. Know anybody that should read this…then share away!

What do you think? Send me your comments!