Ava Schwab | Reporter
“The two things you should never discuss are politics and religion.”
Most people have heard that line before — a rule passed down at dinner tables and family gatherings meant to keep the peace. But in college, that caution often turns into silence. Many students learn to avoid the topics that shape their values, afraid a disagreement could cost comfort, reputation or even friendship.
That’s a mistake. College isn’t supposed to be an echo chamber; it’s meant to be a testing ground. The goal isn’t to argue louder, it’s to argue better. Listening, asking questions and speaking your beliefs without shutting someone else down are all traits that will help us improve our identity. Especially during the holiday season, it’s worth asking what would happen if we learned to talk about religion and politics, rather than learning to avoid them.
Due to polarization and cancel culture, conversation habits have been morphed away from topics that actually matter. While it can seem intimidating to talk with someone who holds different beliefs, it’s a necessary skill we must learn to adapt in life.
In defense against extremism, there is a middle ground where people can meet and enjoy conversations about other topics without growing afraid or angry at the anticipation of a controversial topic.
According to a study at the University of Virginia, participating in a conversation with someone you disagree with deepens your understanding and your capacity for empathy towards people with differing viewpoints. It also improves your mental health.
Attending any form of education is not for confirming beliefs but to test them. If we are all in college to learn, disagreement fosters this very thing. While it’s easy to fall into a bubble of confirmation bias, especially given the amount of false information on the internet, it’s important to have challenging conversations to strengthen your own beliefs.
Debate teams, discussion-based classrooms and even sit-down conversations with friends can all be great places to put this into practice, and many organizations on campus foster civil discourse. For example, the Ethics Society or interfaith groups. Disagreement does not equal disrespect; we are old enough to practice that.
College should be a place to practice conversation, not avoid it. Instead of shying away from sensitive or controversial topics, explore how to discuss them appropriately and do so with respect. In words from N.H. Kleinbaum’s “Dead Poets Society,” “You must strive to find your own voice … and the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all.”
