Politics and Religion

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"So, what are you interested in?"

That's the question that has haunted me for most of my life. When I was younger, I had no idea what interested me. There were so many options, so many things to do that I ended up paralyzed without focus and squandered so much time floundering around from one thing to another. Sometimes, I would just lose interest in everything all together.

As I got older however, my life began to take on a little more focus. I haven't completely found my true life's passion yet by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm beginning to get a sense of an overall direction or theme in my life.

Let me ask you a question: What are the two topics that you should NEVER bring up at, say, a party? That's right: Politics and Religion.

But those are the very things that interest me the most! Now when someone asks me, "So, what are you interested in?", I'm immediately in a different kind of quandary. I no longer have to desperately search for something to say. I know what my answer is now. It's politics and religion. No, my quandary is now to assess the situation, try to read the responsiveness of the person I'm talking to, and decide if it's worth the risk to come out with "politics and religion."

You know what? I don't want to be afraid anymore to say those two words. Why is there such a restriction on that anyway? What, we can't talk about those things because we might have a difference of opinion? Someone's feelings might get hurt? It might start an argument?

We live in such an easily offended, political correct, conformity-driven, don't make waves, fit-in-with-everyone else society that there are two whole big swaths of every person's life that we can't even talk about at all! That's just not right!

NO!

I say these are the very things that we ought to be talking about the most. What other things are so close to peoples' hearts as their religion? Here we are in an election year. What else is in the news so much as politics these days? If these are the things that stir up so much emotion, why do we avoid them? If we avoid talking about these things, our lives are tremendously diminished. Do you want to go through life avoiding everything that has passion? What kind of life is that?

Live life to the full. Talk about what's on your heart. If it makes others feel uncomfortable, be gentle about it, but for God's sake don't just avoid it. These things need to be talked about.

What am I interested in? What keeps me up at night and gets me out of bed in the morning? It's politics and religion.