"If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress." Pres. Obama

So here's the deal. There's crap I shouldn't do and I do it anyway. The main one I have come across as of late is judging people based on their political thought systems. It doesn't matter what mine is like, though if you've spend 5 minutes with me, it would be quite clear where my values may rest. I haven't been directly confronted with specific people or issues that have caused me to think about this; politics are the way of life of most people in the United States, even if they don't name themselves a Democrat or a Republican.

The fact of the matter is, I judge someone every time I find out that he or she thinks a different way than I do. I know that a lot of people do that even if they don't realize it, but I often feel my prejudice is a bit more of a hindrance than I'd like it today. A girl I met once updated her status on facebook with a political statement with which I disagreed and I seriously considered deleting her. How immature of me. There is a guy I was attracted to once (and still would be if he didn't live 600 miles away) and whenever I tell someone about him I say, "he's cute, he's liberal, etc etc" and continue to list off traits I find appealing.

It's natural to be drawn to people who share the same values and ideals that you do, but I actually think my preconceived notions of all people who don't think the way I do will hinder me in the future from developing good relationships. I want to expand my horizons and see things in perspectives I may not have always considered. It is easy for me to say that, but if you stick me in a room with someone with traditional views, I will dismiss their ideas as ridiculous and old-fashioned the second they open their mouths.

I really dislike that this is my mentality, but the first step to fixing a problem is admitting that that problem exists. The bottom line is this: I do want to work with all people to make a better country, a better world. I do want to learn more about peoples' life experiences and other circumstances that lead them to believe what they do. I want to be challenged in my belief system, so that when it is challenged when it might be most crucial, I can defend what I believe and know why I believe it.

I have a feeling it will be one of the hardest things I will ever undertake, but I really need (and intend) to work on being more open minded to people with different political views than my own, while still learning and developing my own platform.