I've always been one that enjoys deep philosophical conversations about religion, politics, and ideals with other individuals. I am a strong believer that it can bring two people closer together, and can provide more insight into other beliefs that may differ but also change your own. However, I have also come to realize that political, religious, and even talks about various ideals are good until a certain point. And that point is crossed when individuals choose to be narrow minded in a conversation, and only want to rule the debate with an iron fist on why they are right and always will be. It is at this point where the value of healthy debating is lost, and anger, bitterness, and frustration take over.

At this day in age, politics has become one of the most talked about topics throughout the United States. News stations, social media, magazine articles, and plenty of other sources are flooded with the latest buzz on the 2016 Presidential Election, and especially on the various candidates. It's no secret that this political election has become one of the most interesting, as well as one of the most dividing yet. There is no more "in the middle" because each candidate running is either a hardcore liberal, or a hardcore conservative. And as our political gap is the most polarized it has been in many years, our country has become mentally divided.

I've always considered myself very "middle of the road". I am very socially democratic, but have become more fiscally conservative as the years have gone by. I come from two parents who have extremely differing beliefs on the political spectrum, so I was exposed to both sides of each opinion on many various topics at a very early age. While I consider this to be something I am lucky to have, it has also allowed me to have a greater insight into just how detrimental politics have become to the stability of personal relationships with family members, friends, and even professional relationships with colleagues, bosses, and professors. Whether we want to admit it or not, politics divides us, and I have watched specific individuals in my life become increasingly bitter and angry with the world and life as they spend more time investing in politics. I have watched their free time become consumed with the latest political posts and articles, as well as having political talkshows such as either MSNBC or Fox News the first thing that comes on when you flip on their TV. And as I see that I am losing these individuals to the bitterness within their own political ignorance, I am also seeing that I cannot stand to listen to a word these individuals say because everything they say relates back to their own hardcore political beliefs.

For a long time I was much more democratic than I ever was conservative, simply because I only invested my time learning about social issues such as abortion, gay rights, climate change, etc. However, I also knew plenty of people who completely disagreed with me, and would make it their personal mission to change my beliefs and my opinions. This did absolutely no good, and I'm sure all of us have had a similar experience with at least one particular individual. These innocent "conversations" turn into debates which turn into raging arguments that end in both individuals talking over one another. The goal of the conversation no longer becomes "I want you to listen and hear my opinion and why I feel this way" to "I'm right, you're wrong, and you always will be wrong until you change your opinion to match my own". It's no longer about being heard but being right. That's the problem with these particular individuals, and politics in a nutshell. It's not about having healthy differing opinions, but having the dire thirst to be the one who is right. But there is a cost to being right, and sometimes the cost is losing some of the people who are closest to you.

Until this past semester, I had only had issues with individuals who I had close personal relationships with. However, that all changed when I took a particular communications class, and I was shocked with how beliefs that I once shared with this particular professor became ones that I began to question. The class started out as being interesting but also pretty innocent. Every week we were required to read one of at least two articles, and write a two page response on why we agree or disagree with the article we chose to read. For a while, each article I read was extremely interesting and provided new insight into topics I didn't know much about. However, as time went on and the articles became more hardcore on liberal topics, I found myself becoming extremely turned off. And what's worse was we spent every lecture discussing the articles we had previously read, and every lecture my professor would paint any individual who disagreed with the article to be a "bad guy", and anyone who agreed to be extremely intelligent and insightful. It got to the point where only those who agreed with the article would speak during lecture, and everyone else would keep their own opinions to themselves.

It became almost bearable until a friend of mine spoke up about why free education wasn't necessarily a good idea, and was torn apart by my professor alleging that in turn she must believe that anyone who doesn't pay for their own education doesn't deserve to have one at all. Which was obviously not what she was saying. It was at this point in time where I realized shoving your own political beliefs down an individuals throat, whether you may agree with them or not, is no way to go about having a "conversation" in either a group or one-on-one setting.

I have found that various political opinions are shaped based on our own experiences. They can be rooted from experiences from your childhood, or over time from many things you've discovered through out the course of your professional and social life. Either way, everyone's life experiences are different, and therefor our political beliefs will always differ from others. It's important to keep that in mind when discussing politics with others, and to also understand that their opinion most likely will not change based on your own. Shoving your political beliefs down someones throat is a complete turn off, and may potentially have a significant impact on their desire to discuss other beliefs or ideas of theirs with you.