A Family Divided

As I have grown up, I noticed more and more that my maternal side of the family is very different than my paternal side, at least politically. I realized I had to be much more careful about what I would say in regards to politics at the risk of making one of my Uncles or my Grandma upset. I also noticed how uncomfortable visits were when my parents and I visited my dad’s parents during the Presidential Election. There, of course, was news about politics all over and naturally there were comments, but I never much realized until then how much I had to be careful about what I would say next. While I dreaded those moments originally, it helped me develop the skill of talking about different points of view respectfully. Learning how to talk tension through rather than run away from different opinions in fear of arguing has also helped me recognize that we as a society must continue to have those difficult discussions to make communities feel stronger.

Because there had always been so much tension during political discussions, it felt to me that my family would let that get in the way of the fact that we are all still family and we should work through issues to make ourselves better and more understanding. I firmly believe that once I stopped being so scared of those discussions that I thought were uncomfortable, I realized how important it is for communities, especially families, to have those discussions. If we can’t take the time to respectfully listen to each other’s views and stances on arguments with our family, how are we expected to do that with neighbors or people we’re still getting to know? If we aren’t able to engage in good, calm discussions about how we feel in regards to politics and policies, we can’t build a stronger community that sets an example of what it’s like to be a community of engaged citizens who recognize the value of citizenship and their ability to partake in civil discourse.

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