Politics

I have friends who are very interested in politics. I'm not. There was a time when I was, but as I’ve grown older I prefer to devote more time to activities that are important to me. So I blog, and I write software, and I do other things that I enjoy. The world our politics is making for today's younger citizens will be, and should be, a world they help shape – not necessarily the world that older citizens want. It is the younger crowd, after all, who will have to live in it.

Many of my friends are conservative and sometimes I receive political emails from them. Some contain videos and some contain images such as political cartoons. Usually, I don't view them. I have only so many hours on this earth and I prefer to attend to matters that are important to me. Political discussions are not on that list. I enjoy communicating with my conservative friends but I often don't share their politics. So I try to let the political stuff slide by without comment.

When I was young, I was conservative. My father was conservative, and doubtless my political views derived from his. But I've lived a different life than he lived. I've been exposed to different people and different circumstances, and I feel I've grown. Or evolved. Or taken a different path. So I can understand the conservative viewpoint. But understanding it does not mean agreeing with it.

DACA – Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals – is a case in point. Trump announced that he planned to get rid of it. Conservatives applauded canceling it, and there was a time when I might have, too. But now I feel that compassion is more important than exclusion and that being a "nation of nations" has made us stronger.

Too many politicians and media personalities demonize the opposite party. They’re playing to their base. There is a reason that Congress has “gridlock.” Building bridges between various parts of our society is not a popular endeavor. Appealing to the more extreme aspects of human nature is how politicians and media personalities build devoted followings. But such behavior is not helpful and only serves to further polarize politics and the electorate.

I'm glad that so many young people are politically active. It makes for a healthier democracy and who knows, maybe they really will change the world. My feeling is that the world is on its own path and nothing I can do will change it. But that is probably as it should be.