Why I Choose to Stay Away From Political Discussions Without Avoiding People

 There was a time when a political disagreement felt like a personal betrayal. A heated discussion about a policy or a candidate could easily escalate into a fallout, leaving friendships fractured and family gatherings awkwardly silent. I told myself I was taking a stand, holding onto my principles. But over time, I began to ask myself: Was I really standing for something—or was I shutting out the very people I should be trying to understand?

The realization didn’t come all at once. It began as a quiet discomfort, a nagging question: How do we ever hope to change the world if we can’t even talk to each other?

The Bubble We Build

Social media makes it deceptively easy to curate our circles. A single click can “cleanse” your feed of dissenting opinions. Algorithms reward this; they create echo chambers that reinforce our views and paint those who disagree as not just wrong, but morally inferior. I was complicit in this. My digital bubble was pristine, but it was also suffocating.

What finally broke through was an unexpected conversation with a few close family members and friends. Some of them held political views that I found deeply frustrating, even offensive. I had avoided these topics for years. But on some days, we cross paths, and to my surprise, we end up talking—not arguing, not shouting, just talking.

These people didn’t change my mind. I didn’t change their. But the conversation stays with me. It wasn’t about politics; it was about connection. I realized I had been denying myself the opportunity to see the world through someone else’s eyes, even if their perspective was uncomfortable.

The Cost of Cutting People Off

When we sever ties over politics, we lose more than a relationship—we lose the chance to learn. Every person who disagrees with us is a window into a different world. Cutting them off is like shutting the blinds.

That doesn’t mean we have to agree, or even find common ground on every issue. But when we dismiss people outright, we make them caricatures of their beliefs. We rob them—and ourselves—of nuance.

I’ve come to believe that disagreements, even sharp ones, are opportunities. They’re messy, frustrating, and sometimes painful, but they’re also where growth happens. The alternative is a kind of intellectual stagnation, where we only engage with ideas we already accept.

Learning to Listen Without Losing Myself

The hardest part of this shift was learning how to listen without feeling the need to concede or fight back. I had to accept that understanding someone’s perspective isn’t the same as endorsing it.

Listening doesn’t mean abandoning your principles; it means being confident enough in them to let them be challenged. It’s about having the courage to ask questions like: Why do they believe this? What experiences have shaped their views?

Sometimes, those questions have surprising answers. Other times, they don’t. But either way, they humanize the person across from you. They turn an argument into a conversation and a conversation into an opportunity for connection.

Moving Forward, Together

I’m not suggesting we tolerate hate or bigotry. There are lines that shouldn’t be crossed. But most political disagreements don’t fall into those extremes. They’re about priorities, trade-offs, and different interpretations of the world.

If we approach every disagreement as a fight to win or a threat to avoid, we miss the point. Democracy thrives on dialogue, not division. Relationships thrive on understanding, not unanimity.

I stopped cutting people off because I realized that it wasn’t changing their minds—it was hardening their hearts. And mine. By staying in the conversation, I’ve found something more valuable than validation: connection, empathy, and sometimes, the quiet recognition that we’re all just trying to make sense of an imperfect world.

What Do You Think?

This is my journey, but I know it’s not universal. Have you ever grappled with the tension between your principles and your relationships? Do you believe it’s possible—or even desirable—to bridge divides in today’s polarized world?

Let’s talk about it. I’d love to hear your thoughts, stories, or even your disagreements. The comments are open, and the floor is yours. Let’s keep the conversation going.