I’m not a very quiet person. If you ask any of my friends, they can attest to the fact that I love talking and am never too shy to give my opinion on a subject. I regularly get in debates with others about important subjects because I have very strong beliefs, and I enjoy being challenged to reevaluate. This tendency of mine is a result of both my outspoken personality that enjoys connecting with people through speech and the wonderful education I received while growing up.

However, since coming to college, the friends I’ve made have probably come to notice that I’m often very quiet when current political issues are brought to the table and slow to speak my mind. This is by no means because I don’t care about politics or think they have no place in my life. I know engaging in political discussions is an integral part of living in our culture as well as relating to the people within that culture.

You see, while most people were taking AP Government to fulfill their high school class requirement, I was receiving a classical education that focused more on the political philosophy behind what the role of government is within society. While most high school students were reading out of a textbook that diagrammed the different branches of the American government and how many different members there are in the electoral college, I was busy reading Hobbes’ views on the role of a commonwealth or DeTocqueville’s views on individualism in democracy. That being said, I actually know very little about the technicalities of the election process in the American government. And I’m OK with that.

I’m on a college campus filled with hundreds of people who engage in conversation regarding politics every single day and have thoroughly-thought-out ideas regarding who they plan on voting for in this upcoming election. Some of those people even know what the candidates have been debating! I intentionally surround myself with people who think very rationally about politics, and I genuinely enjoy listening to what they believe and why. Collectively, however, this makes for a pretty unusual situation. I care fervently about the state of my nation and enjoy good, honest discussion about the way in which that nation should be run. However, I know virtually nothing about the common definition of politics. I know that I should learn the basics of politics and the technicalities behind our government, but I also don’t regret learning the philosophy behind politics instead of the purely technical (but more widely taught) elements of government.

What makes my situation unique is that I have the opportunity to really, truly listen and observe the political discussion going on around me without being tempted to interject my own beliefs at every opportunity. I get to see the very real, very present effect the election season has on America and how people react amidst it all without getting caught up in it myself, and, let me tell you, it’s a truly fascinating dynamic. I see some of the most thoughtful and mature people react very obstinately to certain candidates’ ideals via Facebook posts, whereas other people who make ‘memes’ mocking presidential candidates’ faces; I don’t blame either of them. American politics are just a little bit funny, honestly. There is no other way for an entire nation to respond to a topic as serious and as relevant as this but through the marrying of occasional hilarity and outrage.

I really do intend on learning the specifics behind the American government’s election process soon, I promise! I know it’s good for me as a person and that, in order to properly care for the commonwealth I am an actively participate in, I should necessarily invest myself in the politics which surrounds me. I know. But, I also don't want to descend from this aerial view of the nation just yet. I just want to observe the American nation as it dances strangely during this season of deliberation for just a little bit longer before I delve into the cloud of confusion -- the political conversation. Soon I’ll have my own opinions on the whole election, and I’ll be the one getting into debates with everyone. But I think I’ll just stop and listen for a while first.