One of the golden rules of conversation is often said to be 'don't talk about politics or religion'.
That rule set up an interesting challenge for me on my trip to Siberia last week. It was inevitable that people would ask me for my thoughts on the recent situation in the Crimea. With President Putin being painted as an arch villain in the West and being seen as a strong, popular leader back home, how could I avoid such questions, or tactfully deflect them?
In the end I didn't need to worry. Yes, people did ask me for my opinion and yes, they were very supportive of Putin's actions. But there was no trap set for me and no uncomfortable situations arose.
I admitted that I didn't know the full story and only had the Western media's take on recent events. I asked questions and learned a lot from the Russian perspective. Rather than fighting one corner I listened and discussed.
Anyone who has seen my Facebook updates will have seen my occasional updates of a political nature. I'm not affiliated with any particular party or school of thought, in fact I'm in the 'none of the above' camp in UK politics. But I studied Political Science at university and still have strong opinions. So, should I hide those opinions and be safe? Or share them and risk offending people? In my opinion (and that's what it is, an opinion), the best position lies somewhere in the middle (yes, I guess I am a liberal and comfortable sitting on the fence!). Don't be afraid to share your opinions but be respectful of other people's and listen to what they have to say. Don't be dogmatic, be open to debate and discussion. The key word is respect. Whether speaking about politics or religion you don't need to necessarily hide your views away (unless they are generally considered extreme and offensive) but respect other people's views and their entitlement to hold them. It can certainly makes for interesting conversation....and you might even learn something new. What do you think?
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Andy � All material copyright H & A Lopata ltd 2014. All rights reserved.
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