Fix that Attitude

A couple of years ago I was passionately politically minded. To the point of driving me (and likely everyone who knew me) absolutely insane. Ask me about any issue and not only would I tell you my opinion, I would tell you why everyone who disagreed with me was out of their minds and completely full of junk. And from those two years I learned that I was, in the words of Buddy the Elf, "an angry elf."

I was a skeptical pessimist. Always had the mindset of "they're out to getcha" and my glass was empty, it passed the 1/2 empty mark a long time ago. It wasn't that I felt my life was so awful because honestly, I was/am surrounded by incredible people who uplift me, but I became consumed by situations that became obsessions for me to mouth off about.

And I let everyone know that I was unhappy about those world crises. Wore the t-shirts, slapped the stickers on my car, watched the newscasts that made my blood boil and my heart race, listened to radio programs and podcasts that were so anger-driven and hate-filled that I remember shaking as I listened to the talking heads spew their garbage.

It's two years later and my attitude towards politics has radically changed. Some may and have accused this new attitude I've adopted as being despondent stirred with a lack of caring. Might think I am uninformed or unaware of the issues that affect the world. The truth is I update myself on what I need to know. And I still am passionate about the needs of others.  And people call me if something dramatic happens. And truthfully in the year that I have gone on this 'news diet' I haven't missed a thing that would have impacted my life. If anything I have filtered out the negativity and sought out the positivity that really does exist everywhere. I do think this attitude altering has made me calmer, less agitated, less like a gun about to be fired and more reflective, thought-filled and patient.

The bottom line is I can not and will not allow political obsessions to consume my life ever again. Why? Because I've learned that:
-heated arguments are not useful nor informational. Most of the time they are based solely on passion-driven opinions. Never has one such argument changed my opinion nor have I changed the way someone else thought about an issue.
-So much is accomplished from listening to another person. Not sitting there and planning your next line of attack, but genuinely making an effort to hear someone out. It makes you appreciate the other person and value their opinion. And I have learned so much more about people and issues by giving this a try.
-I can't forget that I love the people I associate with. Why would I want to spend time creating divisions and screaming at those who mean the most to me? That was the real kicker - I was pushing away those who I wanted in my life more than anything. And now that I have been tinkering with my attitude I have come to value not just the person, but their whole being, their thoughts, their priorities, their rationale.
-I can't forget who I am. I am not an opinion, a viewpoint, or a political association. I am a passionate person who wants to value life and others. And that is probably a 'duh' but it took me a long time to fix this attitude of mine.

And I have learned a heck of a lot.