Opinions, everyone's got one...
It is sometimes sensible to make jokes, to inject humor when ugly subjects like religion, politics, etc come up. Occasionally, it may snap a conversation out of the "I'm right, you're wrong" path. It is a worry when the joke ends the debate though.
As I see it, the problem in agreeing to disagree means we don't have to hash it out. Each side usually leaves it there, at that dangerous intersection. It's like walking away from a car crash - each group becoming strengthened in their somewhat faulty convictions.
In the two years leading up to the last presidential election, not having a television was a wonderful gift. That sensation is being reinforced again this cycle. It's hard to imagine what listening to that much political braggadocio might do to a person.
Mind you, most of us seem to agree that staying informed is key. Is that possible though? How do the television news cycles we have really help us in this regard? Can we form our own opinions from watching analysts and newscasters tell us conflicting anecdotes?
Reading and watching videos online seems a slightly less vile option, but not without fault either. It is too easy to misinterpret or just jump on someone else's bandwagon.
There is the human condition that we can never really understand ourselves, let alone others or society at large. Just because something seems impossible, doesn't mean wonderful things can't happen.
For a commie-heathen type, I admit that the intricacies of nature, life, etc are beyond comprehension. Priests and scientists search for explanations. Many of us have become numb to it all and numb to the real impacts of our actions. That is also true for the miracles of human invention all around us - from glass lenses to refrigeration. These are things I could never imagine on my own. Yet, here they are. For some of us anyhow.
Could Mitt or Barack ever come up with anything as useful to humanity? More importantly, can they provide an environment whereby greater creation and solutions are possible? There's a good chance with all the distractions, we'll never hear about that. We'd rather watch Biden's latest gaff or Eastwood talking to a chair. Wouldn't it be wonderful to see ads about what has been or could be accomplished - realistically vs. what weakness the other guy has?
