“There are two things you shouldn’t talk about, religion and politics.”

The amount of times I’ve heard this statement over the years has to be in the same realm as phrases such as “Love you to the moon and back” (thank you loved ones for making me feel I’m worth hopping in a spacesuit and spaceship, and leaving Earth behind, seriously, ditto), “Time flies when you’re having fun”, and “Good morning, how are you?”

Ok, maybe not the last one, but hopefully you understand what I’m trying to say, religion and politics is routinely avoided by the masses when it comes to conversation center pieces.

I’m not one to speak on religion because I don’t have a positive or negative spiritual background and I don’t have knowledge to back up a conversation because deep rooted religion hasn’t really been in my life.

Although I don’t take part in the speaking side of the conversation, I’ll listen and hear what you have to say.  Or what God has to say through you, as you’ll tell me.

So, we’ll make this column about politics.

Why don’t we talk about the backbone of our society?

Whether we like to admit it or not, the United States of America was founded on overthrowing a government and starting its own based on the assumption we, as a people not individually, could put the ones right for important leadership roles in place to move the country forward and push through any issues.

Which, for the most part, I believe the USA has done. Sure, there are conflicting sides of everything the country has been through, but we’re all here, breathing, living, and not chained in a boot camp unless, well, unless you’re chained in a boot camp which is more than likely your fault.

I was about to start listing some of the country’s challenges, but they’ve already been listed in a history book or on Wikipedia. We’ve been through colossal difficulties, loss, problems, conflicts, and all of those other words meaning the same thing, and we’ve survived and moved to the next day or the next one of those words.

Maybe the right people were in office when they were supposed to be.

Maybe the right social norm or standard was in place to meet the right moral at the right time to advance forward in life.

On the other hand, there is a chance we goofed up and another decision or choice would have been a better option.

The crazy thing is, it’s our option, as a people and as a country because we get to vote. We get to have a say. There are those who feel a vote doesn’t matter, but there have been many instances in history where it has been proven there is power in every vote.

Ask Donald Trump if he wants to count each vote again…he wouldn’t be the only president or candidate who would take part in tallying every check mark.

Something else I’ve heard, ‘You learn the most from your toughest lessons’.

So, why not talk about politics and what is going on in our government (city, state, federal) to personally learn more about our choices, right or wrong, and prepare to make a better judgement the next time around.

Being in media for a year short of 20 years, I may have heard “Word of mouth is the best form of advertising or spreading the word” once or twice. If this is the case, why are we trying to stop the pendulum from swinging and be quiet instead of sharing thoughts, knowledge, and wisdom.

There is a lot I don’t know about religion and politics, but how are we supposed to know anything if we don’t want to talk about it?

We’ll talk about who is better Michael Jordan or LeBron James.

We’ll talk about the trail of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.

We’ll come to blows after a discussion of which beer is better, Budweiser or Miller, or what rapper had the better songs, 2-Pac or Notorious Big (I’ve seen fisticuffs for both debates).

But we don’t want to talk about the nuts and bolts of the country we live in?