He was a student of politics. I was a young girl just entering adulthood. I was still forming my opinions, still understanding how the political system worked. Together we’d watch elections, we’d discuss policy. And when we said “I do”, I firmly believed that we were on the same page politically.
I kind of liked that. I liked that we saw eye to eye on issues. I liked that we could go to the polling station and that our votes were supporting the same candidates. I liked being of one mind with the man that I had chosen to share my life with.
As I write this, we are sitting together watching the American election results roll in. This isn’t new. We’ve watched the debates and discussed the results. Although we aren’t even eligible to vote in this election, we have still been looking forward to this night.
But right now, as we sit here, I can honestly say that had my husband and I been able to vote in this election, we would have voted for opposing candidates. And if we opened up the options even further to fringe candidates, our votes would be even further apart.
It has been four and a half years since I married my husband and we no longer politically aligned.
Lately I have been thinking a lot about how divided we are as a society. I started thinking about it as I have been watching this election unfold. My social media streams have been battlegrounds of anger and contention. People are being picked apart instead of politics. Instead of claiming a position, people are attacking neighbours who vote differently. There is hatred for each other instead of an excitement for the democratic process.
So I have been thinking about how divided we are.
And then I lightly dipped my toe into an abortion debate on Twitter. I know, this has nothing very little to do with the election, but it resulted in someone unfollowing me on Twitter; someone whom I respected very much. I am still feeling the sting of that. I wonder when it was that we stopped being able to take a peaceful stand for something?
Our society is turning into a place where we are either fiercely divisive or we are too scared to open our mouths.
Can we peacefully disagree? Can we use our differences to make our world a better place?
As I sit here with my husband, each of us excitedly watching the unbelievably close race in Florida, I realize that regardless of who wins, our relationship will not change. We will carry on with our Canadian lives, and every once in a while get into a friendly debate about a policy we disagree on.
Four and a half years ago, I would have been upset had I known that Dan and I would be so far apart in our political ideologies. But now that I sit here, I don’t mind. I kind of like it. It makes life interesting.
As we go forward with new governments and coming governments and opposing politics and beliefs, let us all try to treat one and other with grace, even if we don’t see eye to eye.
Do you and your spouse sit on the same side of the aisle? Do you discuss politics, debate it, or avoid it?
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Essentially, my husband and I have the same values. BUT, we do disagree politically, albeit respectfully.
Like you said, makes things interesting!
(Wow, unfollowing? That’s harsh)
Alison recently posted..I Remember Her
Man it does sure get heated out there doesn’t it? My husband and I do have the same views politically but I have many friends where they are on different sides. It’s funny to see them go back and forth!
Natalie recently posted..What Would You Do?
We disagree in a number of ways, politically only being one, but we do our best to be respectful of each other. It certainly isn’t easy but working to find common ground across the divide definitely helps us be more understnading of each other and others. To be honest though we typically avoid discussion of the things we really disagree on, it has to come up from time to time, but mostly we focus on our lives and the kids.
I was watching you “dip” your toes last week and I applaud you for it – I never have the courage to tell peeps I’m pro-life.
I’ve never had a problem with people having an opposing viewpoint. Different opinions make life interesting. BUT, what I do have a problem with and get frustrated with is people who aren’t informed about the issues before they start making judgements and decisions about what they believe. Especially when it came to this election and who they were voting for. I felt like a lot more people were voting based on race and media attention than on fact and policy (and I think it was that way for both candidates). At least it adds an interesting topic of conversation around your house. :)
Ha! My house has to stop discussing politics as elections get closer. We agree on many social issues, but fiscal ones? Heck no.
I voted in the election you were watching. My husband and I watched the results roll in (not all night, closer to when they’d call it) and we were rooting for totally different candidates, for totally reasonable reasons. One of us was disappointed, one wasn’t. It’s taken us a long time to be able to do this. I wish social media were that easy.
We’ve been talking about politics but we just ended it quickly because we have opposite side and we don’t like that we are arguing because of that.
Maris King recently posted..The Advantages of Selecting Timber Windows When Repairing Your Home
There are a couple of issues that Prince Charming and I are on the opposite side of, mostly they aren’t a part of our regular life and don’t come up, but occasionally we will debate the ideas just for fun and to mentally stretch our thinking. I don’t expect to change his mind, he doesn’t expect to change mind and that is okay. I didn’t marry myself, I married him. We are different in so many ways and we balance each out out in a lot of ways. All in all, our differences make our life more interesting.
Twisted Cinderella recently posted..Now what happened to that coffee . . .
Hubby and I agree on most issues. But to be honest? I am rather ignorant when it comes to political issues. Not intentionally ignorant, but ignorant because I don’t feel I have the time to make myself properly informed, so I kind of choose to ignore current politics completely. agh. It’s terrible.
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