Heya playa, politics can be super devise and confusing.
Especially if you like someone that has way different political beliefs from you.
Well that's the question that CoolFun 11 asked me when he said "I've known my crush for 2
years now, she's pretty nice but we have huge differences in terms of politics.
It goes to the level when we argue about it for hours and we start insulting each-other.
I like her very much and would like to know her better.
What should I do?".
I have an answer for you that I think will help you out in this situation so I'm gonna
share that with you right after this.
This is The Josh Speaks.
You're watching The Josh Speaks.
For those of you that are new here, my name is Josh and every single Monday through Friday
I make videos sharing tips, ideas and stories teaching you how to be your best self.
And I just want to say right off the bat that this is not a political video.
In fact it's a video about how to bring two people of different political beliefs together.
You may be thinking why even bother?
That person is clearly wrong, and they're an idiot and what they believe is stupid.
You're probably thinking all of those things but that doesn't have to be the case when
you interact with them.
Look, every single one of us is shaped by all the different factors around us.
Our family, our friends, our culture, our society, our country.
All these different things play a role in how we see the world.
So just because someone see's the world differently from you doesn't mean that they're wrong or
they're a bad person or you should have nothing to do with them.
On the contrary, I think you should engage with them more because challenging your own
ways of thinking is good for you.
When you expose yourself to new ideas, you start to learn how to talk about them and
interact with those kinds of conversations a lot better.
So talking to someone with different political beliefs helps you understand their side a
little bit better.
But does that all get thrown out the window when you start to have romantic feelings for
them?
Most likely you're feeling conflicted.
On one end you're like "This person is wrong on so many levels" but then on the other you're
like "But I really want to get to know them and hang out and really develop something
there".
So how do you approach it in a way where the two of you aren't budding heads to the point
where you're yelling and screaming at each other?
Well, the simplest way to go about it is to find common ground in your beliefs.
You may feel like there is no common ground but I guarantee you, there is.
You simply have to look at the deeper values that you and the other person hold and compare
them.
For example, are one of your values to live a life where you're kind and understanding
towards other people?
Chances are your crush is like that too but it's getting watered down with all the political
stuff getting thrown on top of it.
What we all for the most part want at our core is to live a life of compassion and kindness,
of peace and security, and safety and tolerance.
All these core values represent who we are as people but when you start to look at political
parties to see what they're doing and we start to see when things are happening at this higher
up level, we kind of let their actions and decisions translate to our day to day behavior.
So if you find yourself constantly fighting with your crush over a political action that's
happened, bring the conversation back down to your individual values and how you choose
to live day to day.
If you can get the conversation going on that level, it's easier for you to recognize the
person you're talking to is just a person that's trying to figure it all out as well.
No one has all the right answers because life is just too complex.
So if you feel yourself getting pulled into a conversation with your crush that's heading
into a negative direction, don't be afraid to bring it back down to your values where
the two of you connect.
Discussing policies is ok, but you have to recognize that at a certain level, you don't
have any control over how the decisions are made.
So, focus within the scope of what you can do.
And I think that brings it back down to you reconnecting with your crush.
Learning a little bit more about them, who they are as a person, how they came to believe
what they believe.
I think if you take the time to get to know them on that level, it'll be way easier for
you to develop something going forward.
If you take that time to get to know them better as a person they'll feel way more open
and comfortable sharing how they came to their beliefs with you, which is really the core
of what you want to know.
If you're only focused on what they're saying and not how and why they're saying it then
you're never really going to develop that deepness with them.
So remember political discussions tend to be extrinsic where you're focused on what
other people are deciding.
Now that doesn't mean that those decisions don't have an effect on your life and the
lives of the people around you, but what you have control over is your own individual destiny.
How you choose to move forward day to day and your crush is just the same.
So try to connect with them on that level, see where you guys connect on values and approach
conversations with the same kind of values there.
What do you think though, am I just flat out wrong?
Do you feel like it's impossible to form a different connection with someone who has
different political beliefs?
Leave your comments down below and we'll talk about it.
If you're in this situation and you want to share your thoughts in a more private setting,
you can always shoot me a DM over on Snapchat or Instagram.
I do my best to answer as many messages as I can.
Otherwise thank you so much for watching this video.
Hit the thumbs up button if you found it to be helpful in some way.
Look, approaching these kind of conversations where two people come from different ways
of seeing the world is difficult.
It's not an easy thing to do but it is possible to form a connection because at the end of
the day, we're all people and that's what really matters.
As always guys, love and peace.