I often find myself immediately silenced when I try to bring politics up in conversation, hearing a choir of complaints about how politics and all politicians are corrupt. Since it's complicated and controversial, people prefer to avoid talking about it.

As someone who has quite strong opinions when it comes to many policies, I can understand why others may not want to talk about politics with me. I am obviously willing to listen to other peoples' opinions, but I tend to break off into tangents when it comes to certain legal decisions that are important to me.

The majority of people I know are quite the opposite: they don't know much about different policies floating around and they don't want to. They are not interested in arguing, so they think that, in order to avoid heated confrontation, they shouldn't bother becoming invested in the issues.

That itself is the issue. People avoid discussing political matters, which ultimately leads to being uneducated on really pertinent issues. Some conclude that politics don't really affect their lives, so they have no reason to invest their energy into a subject that won't impact them.

This is simply not true. The political realm is so large that it deals with a variety of issues that can change our lives: environmental policies, social issues, finances. Since the broad term "politics" encompasses so many different things, it's understandable that people shy away from the subject due to confusion.

But many things seem too intricate when we first approach them. It takes time to understand any subject, and politics is no different. There may be various opinions floating around with the extreme polarization that plagues our country, but we must learn to differentiate political preferences with facts.

Whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, whether you support environmental policies or not, whether you want a tax increase or decrease in your state is a choice you should make by educating yourself. It's time to stop claiming opinions based on your parents' or your friends' beliefs, especially if you're a young adult right now.

This isn't just about increasing the number of people who vote, although participation among young voters in the midterm election of 2018 was quite high compared to previous years. It's about people voting in an educated way. Do not just listen to what the people around you are saying, do your research about politicians to see what they want and to see what you want.

I am sick of silencing myself once a certain candidate's name comes out of my mouth or when I'm trying to talk about a political decision that I find intriguing. I am sick of the stigma that is attached to the word "politics." I am sick of seeing people show political support for someone they know nothing about, but they know that their father is a fan of.

If we want to progress as a society and a country, we must learn to educate ourselves about politics. Ideally, our educational institutions should assist in this fight, but we may not be able to rely on them to provide a holistic interpretation. In the end, it must be a conscious decision to prioritize politics, a decision we as individuals make.

Stop shying away from political discourse. Open yourself up to the possibility of understanding the subject, even if it is just on a basic level. Have a conversation with your family, friends, colleagues. Do not be afraid to have mature discussions about topics that matter to you.

Most importantly, vote in your upcoming elections.