Politics Vs. "Real Life"

I have been told by my many friends who do not vote and wish to never discuss politics that I should focus on "real life".

Politics is defined by Merriam-Webster as:

a: the art or science of government

b: the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing government policy

c: the art or science concerned with winning and holding control over government

-Part a references the discussions we all have (in person and through all forms of media) over what our government is doing, what we would like them to do, and how they should do it. This would also include discussion of government in states/countries other than the one in which one resides.

-Part b references voting, our choice of representatives and hence our voice in the process. It also references our direct contact with the process, through petitions to our representatives as well as letters and other direct appeals to influence their decisions.

-No doubt that part c, third in the order, is the unpalatable part to which my friends refer. It is a necessary process to hold contests for government seats. We have choice, through voting, over who will represent us in the daily functioning of the government. It also contains the back-biting, rhetoric-slinging, high-priced, information-hiding machine that professional politicians use to put more food on their table. Again, this is a painful but necessary part of our government.

So, these are the 2 questions I thought to ask myself::

1- Is politics opposite to "real life"? Answer-No

The decisions our government makes on our behalf every day affect how much and how often we pay in taxes, how and when our social and personal behavior is regulated and restricted, how we interact with and are perceived by the rest of the global community, how and what we eat, how and where our children are educated, etc., etc. etc. Politics is an integral part of "real life".

2- How much discussion is too much discussion on/re politics? Answer-There is never too much

I do not like to talk politics. I am a centrist and a constitutionalist (not capitalized because they are schools of thought, not parties). Often, while having a rational discourse on any given subject, I am attacked by the left, right, or both at the same time. Attacks don't get us anywhere, rational discussion does. I therefore like to read about political views more than I like to voice them (please note there are none voiced above). That being said, without political discussion we would not know what other people are feeling or wanting. Neither would our representatives. Discussion is necessary.

I hope that was educational, calming, or at least interesting to some.