If you’re over the age of five years old, you’ve probably heard of Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Barack Obama and George W. Bush. If you know those names, you probably also know they were the last four Presidents of the United States. These names are tossed around in conversations about politics, which seem to appear more often than they should.

Don’t get me wrong, I have my own political opinion, as most people do. I used to express this opinion far too frequently which caused me some problems. But now my mindset is different, and I believe that politics shouldn’t be talked about. The infiltration of politics in our daily lives is very prevalent, to the point where relationships are torn apart because of them. Nobody wants to sit down and listen to Uncle Jim and Aunt Katie argue at the dinner table. I know in my family, politics usually don’t get discussed if possible. When someone does bring it up, everyone groans because they know it’ll become a fight between left and right.

Not only relationships within the family are at risk, but those with friends as well. I don’t let politics determine who I’m friends with and have friends all over the political spectrum. However, there are many people who don’t feel this way and have ended friendships with people including me because of a difference in opinion. I can recall losing a large group of friends in ninth grade because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. After a while, I started to recoup my friendships with them, but those friendships aren’t nearly as strong as they used to be.

A simple solution to the problem would just be to not talk about your opinions. There’s no need to voice them publicly because most people honestly could care less about what you have to say. The people who do care could quite possibly have some unhappy thoughts about what you have to say. By doing something so simple you can save yourself a world of trouble. You can save yourself from damaging your relationships with the people around you. Then, everyone is happy!