Progressing with Politics

It's going to be hard for me not to write on and on for hours about this topic because there's so much I have to say regarding my thoughts on politics. I really could write a novel-sized entry but I'm going to do my best to cut this short and stay focused on the topic of this post which may actually have some people mislead. I'm not going to get into the politics that we see everyday in the media about democrats and republicans. I'm sure I will address that issue at a later date anyway before the date of the election on November 4th. Instead, I wanted to focus on the politics we are more apt to face in our everyday lives like in our careers, our communities and and relationships.

According to the trusty internet source wikipedia, politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. ... politics has been observed in all human group interactions, including corporate, academic, and religious institutions. Politics consists of "social relations involving authority or power"^[1] and refers to the regulation of a political unit, ^[2] and to the methods and tactics used to formulate and apply policy.^[3]

The main ideas that I got from this excerpt were that politics has been observed in "all human interactions" and that it consist of "social relations involving authority or power". I love that we have the ability to play such significant roles in group, social relationships without having the highest, most powerful position. Granted, one would need to appeal to the group of people he/she is playing politics with, most anyone can be a proponent of political influence based on the approach and execution of their political methods.

For example, a group of random student assigned to a project will go through a phase of assessing each other with underlying political judgments in which case we should have as much control over as possible. It may not always be to our advantage to act like we do in front of our best friends and family if we're attempting to appeal to a different group for any certain reason. There's a time and a place for everything; including politics. One more example. A newcomer to a group of activist in a small town would have the opportunity to strategically play politics to fast track the achievement of his/her goals.

This is not to say we should become chameleons changing every time we create relationships or get involved in any organization, but to reinforce this concept that we already know about and employ in our own lives. Job interviews require it. Business gatherings require it. Family functions may even require it. I have been inspired to stay engaged in the course of my life and the extent of my achievements through being a proponent of progression through a successful understanding of when and where politics should be used day by day. To me, this idea is both challenging, enjoyable and inspiring!