In this day and age, politics has become a point of contention more than ever before and topics tend to be volatile. People tend to demonize the other side, which benefits the individual parties, but not the political process. These divisions make it hard for one side to hear the other side's points, and sometimes even polarize those ideas past the point of logic.

This is especially prevalent on college campuses, the incubator for one’s political beliefs. College campuses have grown exponentially more diverse in recent years and politics have become divisive, with real discourse disappearing rapidly. There’s a huge benefit to have someone have a reasonable, balanced discussion with you about your ideologies. When you have conflicting ideas however, it becomes even more beneficial. This is because it forces you to challenge your own ideas and question their efficacy.

People are often stuck in their own views and to have someone to challenge your ideas can level you out. It can force you to think about why you believe what you believe rather than just spouting the rhetoric of your own political allegiances.

My fellow writer Zachariah Morris and I have decided to each write our own experiences and put together this piece. This article is mainly about how important it is to stay exposed to beliefs that may not line up with your own. This will only make you smarter and stronger in the arena of politics, an art that is being lost amongst short headlines and internet memes.

Zach:

When I came to college I was a proponent of the ideas that democratic socialism endorsed. I voted for Bernie in the primaries and was optimistic that if he won, the country would enjoy a progressive explosion of ideas, fiscal policies and reevaluating of the economic policies that allow the rich to get richer, and keep the lower class stagnant.

However, when I came to college and as I became more politically minded, I started to question how effective this would be in actual practice. I was steadfast in my beliefs of equality and didn’t see things changing anytime soon if we didn’t try out something new. But as I learned about what socialism actually entailed, and the multiple failed states that tried to employ it, I realized that may not be the answer. This conflict stemmed from my acceptance of what people within my own political sect preached. Our ideas may be similar, but the way we wanted to go about them began to differ.

I had drunk the Kool-aid in a sense and hadn’t been able to form my own ideas about what the most effective means to this end would be. The more I thought about this, the more I realized there was a serious problem in my thinking, and it became something of a political awakening for me. My ideas hadn’t been challenged, and I hadn’t been forced to defend them because as a rule of thumb, I tried to not bring up politics with those who leaned to the other side of the aisle. While this may avoid confrontation, it stopped from exploring why I leaned a certain way, and moreover, what the implications of that might be.

It was then that I realized the importance of a pure political discourse rather than the traditional “I’m right and here’s why…” argument that I’d become accustomed to. It’s really hard to hear the other person when you’re so caught up in what you’re saying and only focused on coming up with a counterpoint. Discourse shouldn’t be an argument, it should be a conversation, despite what the cronies in Washington may lead us to believe. It’s about figuring out why someone thinks the way they do, then seeing how that differs from your own views. The trick is not being threatened by it and using the discourse as a way to bolster your ideas or alter them with the new information you’ve been presented.

It’s also served as a means of making me more effective at communicating my ideas. It’s difficult to learn to defend your beliefs in a concise and sensical way if they aren’t constantly challenged. The relationships built on mutual respect but that have a wide array of differing philosophies have made me more competent in representing what it is I believe, and explore the many facets of what these beliefs entail.

I do still lean far left on a lot of things, but discussions with my co-author Chris have allowed me to explore different ways of thinking, and explore flaws and incongruities in my principles, and I can definitively say that our discussions have had the same effect on him. We often even find similar moral ground and parallels between our ideas of the country’s direction, which I find incredibly refreshing. This frequently serves as a reminder that at the end of the day, it’s not about politics, it’s about what is ultimately best for the country.

Chris:

College has shaped my political beliefs more than any other time period in my life for a number of reasons. Living in Alabama for 10 years exposed me to very conservative, often evangelically based political opinions. I have always been able to bounce political opinions off my parents as well, but my high school experience with politics was not nearly as fulfilling as my college one has been.

Politics have become one of my favorite topics of discussion, if you read anything I write you are already well aware of this. My general political beliefs fall on the conservative side of the spectrum. I believe the government is generally ineffective at producing positive results for almost any goal. I think welfare programs should be limited, the government should remove itself from adult healthcare, and I believe in free markets. I stick to the basic principles of what I think freedom should be. I fall close to libertarian socially and conservative in most other areas. For me, freedom includes the right to marry whoever and get an abortion (up to a certain time). I have my views and generally try to stick to my own principled version of freedom.

This is very different from my co-author, a once staunch Bernie bro, and it is the reason for this article. Zach is not the only politically conscious friend I have surrounded myself with, and I think surrounding yourself with people who can enhance your political beliefs is crucial during your college years. As we form our own opinions through things like social media and our parents, it is so vital to see things from a perspective very far from yours.

We need to understand the other side to find a compromise or possibly sway someone to your own. Our world has become one of soundbites, but they have taken new forms. We see NowThis and other Facebook “news” organizations posting short videos that oversimplify complicated and serious situations. Television is dominated by news with twisted headlines looking for viewers.Nobody is talking about issues that matter or having real discourse.

Opening yourself up to opposing opinions can be in more than just a discourse with a friend. Read. Preferably, read from a source that is biased towards the other side. Republican? Go read some CNN opinion articles. Democrat? Read almost anything on Fox. If you’re looking for something even more biased, check out Breitbart or Occupy Democrats.

There have been many times in college where I have been challenged, and it has helped me sharpen my beliefs. I personally believe in the second amendment, and along with many others, I disagree with an assault weapons ban. But why do I disagree with it? Why should a civilian be able to own certain types of guns? These are the questions I have to answer casually and be on my feet to defend myself and the ideas I have. Why should we not guarantee healthcare? The why has been lost in political beliefs for so many people on all sides of the political spectrum. Yet, those in my college years have challenged and pressed me to answer for my beliefs.

Many times, Zach and I have had a discourse on Twitter or in person. It helps you stay strong and not get caught up in your own sphere of politics. There are a plethora of controversial issues that are relevant to this administration and will remain as platforms for years to come. My co-author Zach and I have discussed almost every policy and event from the last election to the present time. Both our views have molded and been challenged, thus sharpening our minds.

These trials of our beliefs result in a more well spoken and well thought out view of our country and its policy. Despite disagreements between us, and many other of my political friends, conversations rarely escalate and stay civil; something that seems to never happens online with mediums like Twitter and Facebook. Those discussions often spiral into threats of violence and insults.

Both

As our country remains in one of the most polarized political periods in recent memory, the art of discussion seems to have been lost. Rather than staying in your comfort circle of politics, talk to people you know disagree. Have a conversation. We must remaster the art of civil discussions, or future presidencies and policies will be determined by emotion and soundbites.