If you ever find yourself saying: “It’s all so obvious. The other side is so stupid. All we need to do is (blank),” then you’re probably wrong.
Consider instead saying: “This issue is almost certainly complex and nuanced, and there are probably no perfect solutions, only tradeoffs.”
A wiser person than I might also say: “Here are my instincts. I wonder what a smart and reasonable person from the other ‘side’ of the issue might think. Surely, they must exist.”
But before you even get to that point, there may be some more questions worth asking. Namely:
“Is this definitely an issue that falls under the scope of ‘politics’ at all? Is this something that government has done an especially great job of handling in the past, in my experience? Or is this something that I can act on, personally, instead?”
If the subject really does feel like something that is outside of your individual control, then it may be worth asking some more questions. Like:
- “Is someone merely voicing a personal opinion or perspective that I disagree with?”
- “Is the issue that’s concerning me just a basic fact of life that I feel especially annoyed about right now — And that I should perhaps learn to accept, instead?”
- “Is this something I can ask a friend, family member or colleague for help with?”
- “Are there effective charitable institutions that address this issue? (If not, should I start one?)”
- And: “Am I SURE that this isn’t something I can act on, personally, right now?”
Once you’ve run through these questions in your head, you might just realize that you’re not really having a “political” conversation at all. You might just be having a conversation.
If you’re really feeling quite certain that the conversation you’re having is a “political” one, then it may be wise to ask the two most important political questions of all:
“By what principle do I come to my view?”
And:
“Is this something that should be applied equally to all people, of all tastes and backgrounds, of all beliefs and abilities, and in all like cases?”
Far too often the answers may be: “I had never even thought of that” and “Well, of course not.”
And if that’s the case, there’s a good chance that your political conversation might just not be political at all.