I originally thought to make and share a video of my husband and I doing “Mom and Dad Talk Politics” around the subject of Iraq-Iran-USA and the recent events. As the project progressed, however, it was clear that with the imbalance of knowledge, we were adding to the stereotype that men are more informed and women should just sit and listen. We have enough of that, I think.

So, instead, here I am sharing some basic thoughts on how I research big topics, starting from wherever I am. At the beginning, these topics appear to be one big mess. But as I follow the threads where they lead me and I’ve been surprised how much I have learned. I tell myself, though, I don’t have to learn it all. I don’t have to unravel the whole thing. I simply research and keep going until I feel satisfied.

In the end, as you research and constantly look for opportunities to learn, you’ll find that you’ve built a good, solid base that will help you understand what’s going on in politics. If you feel you don’t have time to do much research, find ways to fit it in during other activities. Waiting for the kids to get out of school? Look up something. Waiting for the noodles to boil (and you don’t have another task you’re already multi-tasking)? Consider looking up a topic.

The more we know, the more connections we make to people with different views. And the more connections we make, “we’ll find there’s a lot more commonality, there’s a lot more of the shared values, and people are actually really great.”