We live in a day and age where we have all the resources and opportunities to share our beliefs to every single person that we know. "How," you are probably (not) asking? But on social media, of course! Every social media platform gives us the ability to share exactly what is on our minds exactly when it is on our minds, and that could be dangerous for someone as impulsive as I am, especially when it has to do with politics.

I know from a few personal experiences that talking about politics on social media, in specific, Facebook, can get messy. When you went to Catholic school for almost fifteen years and then move to live at a pretty liberal university afterward, you tend to have a diverse group of friends on your friends list. That being said, you tend to also have a diverse set of commentary on the statuses, videos, and links that you share to your page; this includes the ones that are centered around the recent election and inauguration of our current president.

Now, because of this, do you think avoiding re-posting things about politics is the best way to please everybody as well as yourself? This is a question I still ask myself, although I have re-posted hundreds of politic-related media onto my feed.

I am not one that is good at being quiet about what they believe in and stand for. If something bothers me, you will definitely know, and if there is an article or meme that I can relate to, you will definitely see it posted onto my wall. Because of this, I have had commentary that is so positive and agrees with what I say/repost, but I have also had commentary (from my family, included) calling me ridiculous or silly for believing in what I do. Luckily, the times where these two have crossed over under one post has been at a minimum, but how are you supposed to please both groups of people without upsetting anybody? You cannot silence your voice for the sake of silencing the oppositions, but you also cannot instigate when you will be more at peace if you decide not to write anything. What is the right thing to do when "the right thing to do" depends on each person and their experiences in/thoughts about this world?

Arguing with your parents on their posts where your mostly-conservative family will likely see is probably not the best way to update them on how you are growing in a university setting, and deleting their comments on your posts for the avoidance of embarrassment will only anger them, so is there even a solution?

I think that each solution is probably dependent on each person, so maybe it is not something I could solve for myself, let alone the rest of you, but I hope this article allows all of us to think about our social media presence and also allows us to meditate on staying true to ourselves, even if it can get a little messy sometimes.

To my friends, family, professors, and any other Facebook friends that I have, whether we agree or disagree on some/most/all political views, thank you for sticking around and challenging me intellectually. I appreciate you being in my life and I hope that our relationship isn't affected due to opposing views!