Thread by @imaracingmom

I hate politics. I don't understand politics. Some of my friends love politics, find it fascinating. I don't get that, either. I got asked about politics last night. The person found it shocking that I don't know what it means to be a Democrat or Republican.
1/

I can't define Liberal, Progressive, Conservative, Libertarian. I don't understand Capitalism vs Socialism.

I have the same struggles with religions.

Politics and Religion are things important to many people. And yet both cause so much division and hate.
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After struggling my whole life to fit in an belong somewhere, you'd think that I'd be all gung ho to get really involved in politics and religion. But I don't/can't.

I find that who I vote for and what I believe are things that are personal to me, ...
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... they are not things I can do/follow just because a group of people do.

I hate campaign season. I can't stand to watch TV. I can't stand seeing people say nasty things about other people, instead of telling me who they'll make the world a better place.
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I read a really good book, "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion". If you haven't read it, I suggest it.

I probably would have gotten even more from the book if I understood better what it means to be Liberal, Conservative, etc.
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But the book did help me understand much better why people are so divided. And it reinforced for me that joining certain groups (tribes), is not where I'll find the peace and happiness I seek.

The journey these past 2 years has been long and challenging.
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I'm finding it more and more difficult to hate others / hate groups. I'm finding a lot of anger slipping away. It is sucking the fight right out of me.

I've come to realize I don't want to fight anymore. I don't want to hate others or myself.

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I want peace, cooperation, collaboration. I want solutions to problems, not shouting matches about problems. I really want to see people love their neighbors, even when they disagree with them.

I was concerned the other day when I realized I don't want to fight anymore.
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I felt lost. If I'm not fighting, what am I doing?? I felt fear as I felt lost. Fighting is what most of us know. We fight for what we believe in.

But, I think fighting is getting in the way of progress. I'm not lost anymore, and I don't feel bad about not wanting to fight.
9/

Looking at things that are important to me, I realize that at times, being in fight mode has hurt the cause I was fighting for.

They say "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", but they forget to tell is "if it's not working, do something else".
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I am done repeating the mistakes of doing the same broken thing over and over. I'm off here in my own little world, discovering what doing something else means. Might I make more mistakes? I guarantee I will...
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This time around, I hope instead of repeating mistakes, I learn from them. I want/need to go out and keep trying something different until I get it right.

On my bucket list is to "help make the world a better place". Repeating mistakes doesn't accomplish that goal.

~End