So it is not uncommon for people to say “I hate politics” or “I avoid politics”. I have been one of those people, and I certainly understand the distaste that others have. For the purposes of this discussion I will refer to this definition of “politics”: “competition between competing interest groups or individuals for power and leadership”. This definition highlights the fact that politics is inherently about conflict, and most people want to avoid conflict if they can. However, conflict can’t be avoided forever if you want to be an integral and active member of the group involved. Inevitably there will come a point where some issue is important enough to you that you must face the conflict and try to resolve it. The skills and techniques used to manage these interpersonal conflicts are like any other skill. They must be learned and practiced. It’s all well and good to say “I hate swimming”, but when the river rises you’ll be better off if you know how to swim.
Much of the aversion to politics I think comes from bad experiences with people who make use of those skills in a way that negatively affects some portion of the group. Politics is a tool, and like any tool it can also be a weapon. Conflicts can be resolved in a way that brings the most good to the most people (even if they are not all completely happy), or they can be resolved in a way that benefits one side to the detriment of the other. The former path is harder, but ultimately provides the greatest benefit to the group as a whole.
Even if you don’t think you are “important” enough to be one of the people who would be mediating conflicts, it behooves you to pay attention and think about how those people who are go about it. When the time comes that you see the river rising, it’s good to have a plan for what to do when it gets to you.