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Not everything is about politics

It is no secret that I tend to lean politically conservative. Mostly because of my belief in small government and fiscal conservatism. I don’t typically spend my days thinking about political labels, like conservative, Republican, Democrat, liberal, independent, or Libertarian, and that lack of labeling hasn’t ever really cause me any trouble. Recently I have had two experiences that have made me step back and wrinkle my nose in disgust at the way some people view life through a lens that politicizes everything.

The first experience was when I was sharing my passion on conscious capitalism with a friend. Conscious capitalism is a topic in which I strongly believe in the value. Put simply, it means doing business with a purpose beyond just a profit. It means using the collective power of the employees and the power of an organization to address a bigger societal problem.

The problem might be energy dependency (like Interface Carpets has begun to address), or maybe it is the incarceration recidivism rate (like Dave’s Killer Bread is actively addressing). Maybe it is a goal of increasing financial literacy, decreasing skills gaps, addressing generational poverty or decreasing homelessness in a community. Companies that practice conscious capitalism, or a purpose beyond profit, tend to see much higher profits and success because people like to do business with those companies and employees are generally more engaged.

As I was talking about this concept, the person I was talking to responded with, “Really? I’m surprised you’re involved. That sounds like another liberal push.” I was disappointed with that closed-minded response. It is interesting to note that I had been working with the Conscious Company Magazine to help it come across as less liberal to attract a broader audience because I strongly believe there is value in the practice and it shouldn’t be aligned with a political party. In fact, I was invited to speak on a panel at a conference in California about some of the hurdles conscious capitalism faces — the political alignment perception being one of them.

The second experience happened very recently. I am currently working on my open water dive certification. I am very excited as it is something I have always wanted to do. I was telling someone about the process and when asked what I hoped to do in the future with my diving, I replied that I wanted to be able to dive and golf on vacations and that I also wanted to help with a program called Project Aware that is organized by Professional Association of Diving Instructors and is focused on protecting and preserving underwater environments. The person I was talking to responded with — I am not kidding — an eye roll and then, “What, are you turning liberal on us now?” I couldn’t believe it.

Let me see if I understand this correctly. Because I tend to be politically conservative, I am not allowed to believe in running a business with a greater purpose that goes beyond the bottom line of profit? As someone who typically votes for candidates with more conservative views, I am not allowed to want to keep our oceans and lakes clean and protected? That makes no sense to me.

We are in a very bad place if we think this way. Among many other things, protecting our environment and using the resources available to us — the power of employees coming together daily, for example — are not things that should be aligned with a political party.

The reactions I received from those two individuals did not shut me up. They made me talk more. I explained to them that I still have my core values of small government, fiscal responsibility, and the belief in working hard for what you want in life, but that I also have an open and independent mind and truly believe there is value in these topics. I further explained that I don’t think these topics should be politically aligned, especially at first judgement.

Both conversations turned into great discussions about politics and our (sadly) divided world. In the end, both experiences were valuable, but I believe there are more people who would give similar responses in conversations on the same topics. Our world is tough enough without this type of closed mindedness adding roadblocks to open discussions and masking ways we can all work together, across party lines, to do things that are truly beneficial for everyone.

Let’s stop viewing the world through a political lens. In many cases, it is polarizing us and creating roadblocks that we would be better off without.

Jackie Krawczak is president/CEO of the Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce. Her column runs bi-weekly on Thursdays. Follow Jackie on Twitter @jkrawczak.

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