Last night was the all important Valentine’s Day! Well, important because I think we all need to be reminded sometimes to think of those we love…and Valentine’s Day is a great reminder.
I had an interesting experience last night. My wife and I had dinner with her parents and her two grandmothers. Sitting around the table enjoying our dinner, we wandered from various topics. Our upcoming vacations, what we’ve been doing lately, what our plans our for the weekend – then, suddenly the topic of the 2008 election came up.
Ding!
It’s as if the bell rang and into the middle of the ring came everyone. Now, this was not a hostile debate by any means, but it was full of passion and opinions. And on a day that is supposed to be about love and beauty, should politics really enter the conversation?
I think what I’ve discovered is that ‘yes’, it should be in the conversation. Politics and the issues surrounding our community and our country cannot be a topic that we are scared to talk about with family, friends and our community. If we never talk about it, how are we ever supposed to make a difference? If we never talk about it, how can we ever grow as independent thinking people with well rounded opinions and beliefs?
By being able to engage people in these discussions and making sure ALL parties feel respected during AND after everything is said and done, we can assure that are constantly pushing and challenging our beliefs and we will be more able to address the issues and challenges in our life at home, in the community and abroad.
And if we can do this on Valentine’s Day – we’re all the more better for it.
