Confessions and Lessons of a Political Junkie

"Most people don't listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply." -- Stephen Covey 

They say the first step is admitting you have a problem.  So here's goes:

My name is Megan, and I am a political junkie. 

In my defense, I come by it honestly. My mom loves to tell the story of my dad teaching my older sister to chant “Bush in ‘88!” whenever my diehard Democrat grandparents were around. I cannot recall a family Christmas when (loud) political debate didn’t ensue at one point or another. 
 
My first memory of election season was when Bill Clinton defeated Bob Dole in the 1996 election. I remember the 2000 election when no one knew who the president would be for weeks thanks to Florida and those hanging chads. As an adult, I pour over the Electoral College map and polling data with a fine tooth comb. My podcast app is filled with political commentary I listen to almost every day.

Election season is like Christmas to me, but in recent years, I find myself longing for the good old days. I miss when my source for election results was Tim Russert and an AM radio station. 

With the rise of social media, people have a platform to pontificate, and if you disagree, the consequences can be downright ugly.  People say things behind a screen they wouldn't dare utter to someone's face. 

No matter what happens on Tuesday, some people are going to be happy and some people are going to be unhappy.  Many people are going to take to social media to express their frustrations while other celebrate.  No matter which party wins, someone will accuse the winner of "stealing" the election.  Someone will make a hurtful comment that does irreparable damage to a relationship. 

As someone who spends a lot of time analyzing political races and talking politics with my closest friends and family, I've learned my lessons the hard way.  I look back at my Facebook memories of election season from over a decade ago and cringe. For a new voter that was barely out of high school, I certainly thought highly of my opinions. I used to be pretty hot-tempered, but thankfully, I've mellowed significantly over the years.

I don’t have it all figured out, but I think election season would be much more bearable (and maybe even enjoyable) if we all agreed to do a few things. 

First, follow the the advice of Aaron Burr in Hamilton: "Talk less, smile more." Maybe it's because of my profession, but I tend to play my cards pretty close to my chest. It's okay for there to be a little mystery.  As I tell my middle schoolers all the time, not every thought you have needs to be verbalized.

 
I’m not saying don’t ever speak on politics. I’m saying think before you speak, choose your words carefully, and be prepared to handle pushback. If you can’t handle pushback…well, it’s like the saying goes: If you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen. 

Get your information from multiple sources. A few weeks ago, I taught one of my favorite lessons on the Boston Massacre. I asked my students to decide who was to blame for the incident. I started by showing them Paul Revere’s engraving of “The Bloody Massacre.” Based on that photo, it looks like innocent colonists were being senselessly slaughtered by the British. Then they started reading more accounts of the event to piece together what happened, they realized that famous depiction wasn’t telling the full story. 

When you get your information from just one source, you aren’t getting the entire picture. We live in a world with information at our fingertips. There’s no excuse. Do your research.

Widen your circle. It is possible to be friends with people you disagree with politically. In fact, many of my closest friends have wildly different political views than me. In some ways, it’s how I prefer it. How boring would it be if we all thought the same way? If you’re surrounding yourself exclusively with people who think like you, you aren’t learning. 

Everyone says they want unity, but their words and actions say otherwise. Rarely do we want to put in the work to achieve it. In order to create unity, we have to first build empathy. If you do decide to broaden your circle,  don't try to change anyone's mind.  Instead of entering a conversation with the goal of getting someone to see things your way, go into it with the goal of trying to understand their perspective. 

And most importantly, remember everyone is made in the image of God. I don’t think Jesus wants people spending time trying to guess what His political affiliation would be, nor do I think He would condone telling someone they aren’t truly His follower because of their political affiliation. But Jesus was pretty clear on one thing: He wants us to love our neighbor as ourselves. That means the neighbor with the yard sign for the candidate you vehemently oppose. That means the neighbor who shares a Facebook post supporting a political candidate on the ballot you don't like. Everyone deserves to be treated like a human being. 

Yes, elections are important. It’s okay to feel passionate about the issues and candidates
on the ballot. But in the midst of it all, never forget who you are, and if you are a believer, WHOSE you are. 

- Meg