To be properly political, one has to honestly assess the intentions and beliefs of one’s political affiliation. I am sure there are many who would like to say that they already do and have figured out which side they are going to stand with. I used to be that person. I thought I had everything figured out. I often wondered why people did not agree with my side; I was sure that I was right. This type of thinking is an issue that many of us must get past. Otherwise we are no better than the German public before the rise of Hitler; they were unwilling to criticize him and paid for it dearly.
Now, what does it mean to assess your side? The first step would be to take a step back. Often times we want to find our identity in our political party. This is the root of the issue and is the first thing that we have to get past. Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, you have to be willing to remove yourself from your side and be willing to accept change. This was actually the hardest thing I had to overcome in my new way of thinking. Being from a Republican home, it felt like betrayal, but I found, in the end, that it was the oppo- site. In my case, also, being a Christian, I was able to see the hypocrisy in the Republican Party and begin thinking about how to move forward.
The next step would be to begin to consider the other side’s beliefs. I know, I just asked you to move away from your current beliefs and now toward the others. Now, do not get me wrong, this does not only apply to Republicans, but also to Democrats. I only talk about Republicans the way I do because I am one. This will seem odd and uncomfortable, but bear with it. With an open mind, you will find that there is a lot to learn from the other side. You may even find that there are good reasons for their beliefs, often times these reasons will make you rethink yours. Which is a good thing. One good way to start this process, besides sitting with someone who you know is of the other side and asking them about their beliefs, is to get a subscription with a media source of the other side and read their content with an open mind and see what they report and how.
The next step takes a lot of time and thinking power. You have to now start to form your own opinions. Most people think that they already have formed their own, which may not be true. They more often simply agree with an existing opinion and adopt it. There is a huge difference between these two. If you adopt an opinion, you do not fully believe in it or cannot defend it. If you form an opinion, then you have a full base that you built to back it up, hopefully with facts and statistics behind it.
Once you have a good idea of what you believe, then I would challenge you to debate people who you know will not agree with you. Like in the second step, you might find yourself adjusting your opinions, but you may also affect the other person, causing them to see something a different way that will help them to grow politically.
Throughout this process, the worst thing you could do is be combative. It may be tempting to try to fight the other person, but I would urge you to stay far away from that type of thinking. You must be willing to sit and listen with an open mind. Maybe you do have a good point to put out there, but you should wait until they have finished their point and reply with kindness and humility. After all, they may very well be in a similar place as you politically, so think about how you would want to be treated and treat them that way.
