What 'politics' means to me
(This is an updated "oldie".)
I think that "politics" is a system for getting along with people whom you do not like. No one needs politics for dealing with those we like. Getting along with them comes naturally. Therefore, I believe that the best political system is the one which allows those who really don't like one another to still live their lives peaceably in the same space.
Authoritarianism doesn't work because it usually forces those people together in a way that makes both sides more unhappy than they were before. It makes rules that will always hurt someone for the benefit of someone else. It imposes forced compliance, and forced (false) "agreement".
Only in a libertarian society (an anarchic society) can people be free to associate in any way they choose, with whoever they choose, as long as no one initiates force on, or steals from, anyone else. There is no need for the "uncooperative individuals" in society to go along. The "system" works just as well whether they want it to or not.
This is not a huge revelation, but I see it work on a small scale every day. If you truly dislike someone, minimize your dealings with them, and do not cause situations which escalate the dislike on either side. When you must deal with them, do so with the same respect that you would want, and then move along. Don't dwell on the fact that you don't like them. If you can ever grow past the need for your dislike, you might just find that they are not so bad after all. It has happened before for me.
