To the light of an overhead fan in the humid Florida air, my relatives would talk about politics. After dinner we would move to our back porch to the lanai overlooking our screened-in pool. Voices raised and laughter escalated over coffee and dessert.

I was young. So I often excused myself from our guests when the conversation bored me. I would go inside the house after I ate my dessert, or maybe I would stick around long enough to watch my grandfather get comically frustrated in conversation.

I didn’t know much about the world events and national news they talked about. But I did remember how it made me feel. If liking and knowing politics meant arguing over dessert – then to politics, I said, eh, no thanks.

If you are anything like me, somewhere along the line you didn’t know all the answers so you wrote politics off. We said we weren’t political in conversations so we didn’t sound uninformed or take a stand we didn’t fully understand. We didn’t want to look stupid. So we put a disclaimer on our conversations. 

“I’m not political, but…”

Sometimes we are really trying to say, “I don’t know all the answers, but I still care.”

Somewhere along the line I fell for the lie that I wasn’t political. It could have been on my childhood back porch, or in a classroom, or in a conversation with friends who knew more than I did about state laws and legal policies.

Somewhere along the line I’ve let other people do the thinking for me. I thought it was someone else’s job to care about our cities. I’m relearning that the personal is political. It can’t not be. 

So here’s my confession: I’ve treated “political” like a dirty word. I’ve apologized for myself, excused myself, and written it off. I told myself I wasn’t political. I told others that I wasn’t political. I tricked myself into believing that politics was like football, that I had the luxury of not understanding so I could sit on the sidelines and eat hotdogs and yell “Go sports!”

We can all be more political. Here’s a place to start.

#1 – Stop saying “I’m not political.” Words build worlds. How we use words matter. They shape the culture around us. And as we continue to say we aren’t political, we distance ourselves from crucial issues. Since words matter, let’s be intentional on how we use this one.

#2 – Qualify yourself. Instead of feeling unqualified to have conversations about politics, let’s approach them with curiosity. Ask the beginner questions. Let’s be brave and vulnerable. Instead of saying “I’m not really into politics,” engage in a conversation and ask questions.

#3 – Inform each other. I’m inviting all of us into uncomfortable conversations.  Whether you enjoy politics or not, approach conversations with your hands open. If you are faced with an opportunity to share knowledge and experience, take it with kindness and be open to the opinions of others.

Let’s return to a time where the personal is political. It always was and always will be. We need to stop treating politics like something we can choose to opt out on, and have others do the work for us.

No longer should not understanding be a roadblock to political involvement. There’s something you care about that intersects with our nation’s political system. Human trafficking, the refugee crisis, public education, systemic racism, paid leave, and the list goes on. Don’t let your unanswered questions halt your passions.

Don’t let others do the work your heart is drawn to. Decisions that are made for our country, states, and cities matter to our lives. The personal is political. And it can’t not be.