"Never discuss religion or politics." It was one of the few rules I set for myself that I actually followed.

I’m not a fan of organized religion so it hasn’t been difficult to avoid talking about it. The same was true for politics until Obama began running for president. Sure, I’d been bashing Bush for years but it was only when I came out for Obama that friends started trying to pull me into mini-debates.

In my enthusiasm for Obama and the better future I hope he represents, I broke my rule and engaged in these discussions. Big mistake.

Looking back, I now see the point –the only point– of these encounters was to convince the other guy he was wrong. Even with friends, there was a negative undertone to these discussions. I’d go in feeling up and positive… and come out down and negative.

So I’ve decided to avoid discussing politics. We can talk about anything else you want… my sex life, books and films, The Office, whatever. But no politics.

I’ll post on political topics here, but that’s strictly therapeutic. I don’t expect anyone to read these posts and, frankly, discourage it. smays.com has always been, first and foremost, a personal journal. A place to write some things down.

There. I feel better already. You should, too.