1) Do Not Bring up Politics Needlessly<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis is probably the easiest way to stay away from politics or talking about it. If it’s not brought up, it won’t be talked about and people won’t get mad or hurt. It’s that simple. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But despite our best efforts, there are times when a friend might bring up a statement that could cause a fiery conversation. However, it’s all about making the best choice for the people in the conversation. Sometimes, it is better to not push further. Bringing up politics needlessly leads to burned bridges, even when the people agree, just because most people do not enjoy political conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2) Bring up Your Opinion at Appropriate Times<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nIt might seem like this might contradict point one, however it does not. There is a difference between being overbearing with politics and sharing an opinion. If the conversation is not heated and a person feels comfortable, they should feel free to share their thoughts and beliefs. This doesn’t mean they won’t receive opposition, but it does mean that a person has a chance to be open about a different aspect of their identity. This is a good thing! Diversity in thought should be celebrated by both sides of the political coin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3) Listen to Understand Rather Than Refute<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinally, the best advice is simply to listen with the intent to understand. If we only listen to refute, we will be so fixated on our ideas and how to beat the other person that the conversation will shift and become harsher and more harmful than before. Listening to understand requires humility, and you may simply have to sit and feel uncomfortable. It requires trying to be present and override strong emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The benefit of this method is that it allows a heated argument to become a discussion. It becomes a learning experience for both parties and could strengthen the bonds between them as well. More often than not, we are all trying to reach the same goal. It’s just a different perspective on how to get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With all of this in mind, it becomes easier for people to be able to understand and enjoy where they live, regardless of the political atmosphere. Westminster might be getting more liberal, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be an amazing home for conservative people as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Westminster, Colorado is a beautiful city that is located a few miles north of Denver. It is home to many people and families who love the mountains but also can<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":9279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/suggestedbylocals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9278"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/suggestedbylocals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/suggestedbylocals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/suggestedbylocals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/suggestedbylocals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9278"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/suggestedbylocals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10504,"href":"https:\/\/suggestedbylocals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9278\/revisions\/10504"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/suggestedbylocals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/suggestedbylocals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/suggestedbylocals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/suggestedbylocals.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}