Chilean politics distresses me. While I do care about the future of my country and I am worried whether everyone gets the same chances in life or not, the degree of polarization I am permanently exposed to at University is frankly disturbing. From left-wing extremists claiming that anyone who doesn’t ‘cooperate with the revolution’ must be killed, to right-wing extremists claiming that left-wing supporters must be exterminated ‘in the name of nationhood’, and many other insane positions in between…
It only seems to me that most people are only actually trying to defend the ideology they’ve picked and chosen to blindly follow, rather than honestly caring for our collective future as a nation and trying to discuss and propose ways to solve our issues. The fact that many of these people view political violence as necessary, and even GLORIOUS, is unnervingly shocking for someone with pacifist tendencies such as myself.
How could I live at ease while worried about this? If I were to continue caring about politics, I would continue to grow bitter and eventually seclude myself from society while seeking psychological shelter from political extremism. It seems to me that, despite my good intent, I should refuse to care about or participate in politics. Instead, it might be better to contribute to society in other ways; perhaps by spreading thoughts of pacifism, perhaps by lending a helping hand or kind words to those I come across with, or perhaps even solely through my future job as an engineer. I believe that only non-political methods will allow me to unfold my inner self and live in peace.
