From a young age, I was told that these were the two subjects that you shouldn’t discuss because you’d end up falling out with everybody. We all have our own political views, and even those within the same political spectrum argue amongst themselves. Religion is similar. Even those of the same faith, split into different denominations and argue about the meaning of scriptures, other books, and teachings. Both politics and religion cause wars.

At the end of the day, we usually don’t end up changing a person’s views. We can argue with them, discuss with them, and present a strong case for our own opinions, but at the end of the day, it’s usually the case that the other person will still hold their own views fundamentally unchanged.

So I sit back and I think, is it worth the time? Is it worth the effort? Unless you’re actively involved at some political level within your community or your country, then, surely, your time is better spent doing things that you find enjoyable.

You can’t change what you can’t control. You can protest by writing to your local and national representatives and elected officials. It’s undoubtedly important to make your views known to the people who can do something about the world, the country, your town, and your street. However, is it really in anyone’s genuine interest, and especially in these days of social media platforms, to spend hours sitting at a keyboard, ranting and getting angry and stressed when your words aren’t reaching those who really can make a change?

From a young age, I was told that these were the two subjects that you shouldn’t discuss because you’d end up falling out with everybody. We all have our own...