“How are you?” “I’m good, how are you?” We say things like this, probably on a daily basis, but do we actually mean them? I think they have just become things that we say, empty phrases that have become part of a socially-accepted dialogue. Words don’t mean anything anymore. We use them casually, throwing them around like crumpled pieces of discarded confetti.
This mindset has especially bled into the political scene. When we look at debates and political discourse, all we see are a bunch of political leaders yelling at each other. Lack of communication is rampant. But instead of dissecting the art of the political debate or the communication (or lack thereof) styles of candidates and politicians, I want to focus on the everyday citizen and the conversations we have about politics around the dinner table.
I don’t think we know how to talk about politics. For one, the political parties are so polarized that we are afraid to be on the wrong side. People are hesitant to share what they actually believe in an environment that is so tribalistic. No one wants to say the wrong thing, because they don’t know how the other person votes. This leads to stunted conversations.
This fear can drive the silence, but sometimes we are just uninformed. Sometimes we simply repeat things that we have heard without actually thinking about what it is that we are saying. But this temptation seems to be particularly strong when it comes to politics. Ian Anson, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, states that, “many Americans think they know much more about politics than they really do.” On topics like abortion and gender, sometimes we resort to things we have heard; maybe this is a way to distance ourselves from the stance, since it isn’t our own ideas that we are putting out there. Maybe we don’t put enough thought into what beliefs we claim as our own. Or perhaps we just can’t be bothered to put in the work to have real conversations.
As college students, we are finding our way in a world that is plagued by an ever-shifting political landscape. It can be easy to regurgitate what our professors or parents believe. But why don’t we form our own beliefs? They don’t have to be perfect to share them; conversation and debate are how we develop and refine our ideas. Disagreements can actually be good. They challenge us and force us to come to terms with our own thoughts.
This doesn’t just apply to politics. The same could be said for religion. Faith has to be your own. So when you are numbly spitting out “religious lingo,” you aren’t really doing yourself any favors. Consider what you are about to say before you actually speak.
In a world fraught with deep fakes and pointed fingers, communication is desperately needed. And the basis of communication is the words that we choose to use. Not just in speeches or presentations or articles, but in the everyday conversations we have with an acquaintance, a family member or a friend. Because when it comes down to it, the hearts of both politics and religion are the people that make up the country and the Church.
So as we go into the aftermath of tense and acutely controversial elections, let us think about the words that we use. Because the only way that this country is going to hold together and heal is if we begin to have real conversations about our differences of opinion. Show up for your own ideas. Listen to the other person before you refute their claim. Choose words that mean something. Say something that matters.
And then take the consequences as they come.
