Being Discreet, and Discrete

I HAVE OFTEN MENTIONED, uninvited, that when I was in sixth grade, in 1966-67, my teacher, a lady I adored, told our class that there are two subjects one should never discuss: you guessed it: religion, and politics. Ah distinctly I recall sitting there, front row, thinking that she was precluding the two most interesting topics available. I understood her reasoning, of course, and still do. But I disobeyed her, perhaps unwisely. Now, in the midst of Trump, in the midst of high percentage evangelical support for Trump, there stands my sixth grade teacher, who may still be alive, admonishing me. My current thinking is that discussing religion is pointless, because everybody has one, or doesn't, as Goethe said "When I realized that everyone invents his own religion, I decided to invent mine." 'Nuff said. But politics is a different animal. In a country in which we the people, at least nominally, are required to govern our country, doesn't someone, anyone, at some point, need to discuss politics? How can we discuss politics, the science/art of governance, without talking about it? On that matter, my sister, a retired pentagon employee, holds firm. Yes, she allows, someone in the United States needs to discuss politics. But she'll be damned if she is going to be the one to do it. "Nuff said. Whether I find her viewpoint less than admirable is quite irrelevant. The current polarization of America is well documented. We are an angry, arrogant people, and every single one of us has the truth. we have become, somehow, entitled not only to our own opinions, but to our own facts. The president is either a criminal and a traitor, seeking political assistance from foreigners, or, he has made America great again, presumably just by being there. your choice. After all, in modern America, nobody is ever wrong.