Con-Promise

Compromise. I remember I used to have a ton of trouble reading this word when I was younger and always read it in my head as com-promise. Then it starts to read like Con-Promise.

Seriously - there's a thought here. Stick with me.

Conpromise: when people pretend like they are making a compromise to save face. When they are manipulating stipulations and then backstabbing constituents.

Hey there, political intrigue! I've gone there, and I'm not going back.

Yes, I'm a blogger, and as being such, I have decided to jump on today's topic trend and post about the Government shutdown.

I'm a little stunned, to say the least. And a little irritated by the posts in my feeds of people complaining. Because at the end of the day, I think it's our own lack of compromise that is causing us to meet at these dead ends (and then lack of follow through when we conpromise, instead of compromise).

Seriously. Here's a question for you, and I want you to consider it, truly. And even, if you so desire, prove my point by responding in the comments on this blog. How many times have you entered a heated argument/debate over a political issue, social service, etc, and ended up on the other side of the issue?

I'll be honest. Rarely. I consider myself to be a thorough person, an educated person. I've come to these decisions and beliefs through countless hours of internal discussion. And when I talk about them publicly, I don't enter into conversation to change my point of view.

The more that I think about it, the more that I realize that I'm part of the problem.

Parties are a distraction. An excuse. They are an easy way to become misguided by "ideals" rather than end points.

You know what I look for when I vote for a candidate? A history of compromise. Even if I don't agree with the compromises they made, it shows me promise, moderation.

Here's my beef guys: we can complain on Twitter all day about how lousy Congress is. And frankly, I don't disagree. But honestly, what is that doing? Do you think our Senators go home and cry themselves to sleep on their pillows over their low approval ratings? Hardly. They're still getting paid to manipulate the system.

Stop complaining and start changing.

Start asking yourself hard questions. Am I really as open minded as I think I am? And be honest. I know I'm not. We need to stop fooling ourselves. Because I have friends "on the other side" of the spectrum. And I know that they aren't stupid. They came to those conclusions for a reason.

Stop debating to push your beliefs; start debating to define your beliefs.