In 2016 I worked on Lily Tang Williams Colorado Senate campaign. I believed in her, and I still do.

She’s a great person and I agreed with her policies. She also never personally attacked her opponents. Her campaign was about ideas, and that’s what a young idealistic Devon Martinez needed.

Despite her being a great influence, the entire political campaign left a bitter taste in my mouth. Fellow libertarians were sometimes gross in their descriptions of other candidates. Some believed that winning meant finding dirt on political adversaries. They didn’t care about ideas.

I voted for Williams that November and then a couple of weeks later I left the Libertarian Party.

It’s been a long four years under the Trump Administration, and I don’t care whether you like him or not, it’s just a fact that the country has become more tribal over the past four years of his presidency.

The left clings to a social justice vision that demonizes people and cancels others for wrong think. The right clings to Trump, and their principles are left to die.

No one has learned anything as we head into another presidential election.

The idea of believing and following a political candidate is a depressing idea that I can no longer understand, and politics no longer piques my interest.

This doesn’t mean I’m not going to vote. This just means I’m not going to worry about the results. I’m going to do my part, and that’s it. I have no time to worry about what I can’t control. That’s why I’m against shaming people into voting for the person I want them to vote for. Everyone should vote their conscience. Everyone should feel empowered by their choice.

I don’t want to tell others how to live, and I live a philosophy of life that says to focus and worry about what I can control. Of course, this isn’t always the case, but it’s what I attempt to do.

So, this election season. I plan to vote my conscience and not worry about the results.

I want to work on becoming a better me because that’s what I can do. That’s what we can all do. I want to be a better journalist. A kinder and gentler person. Less anxious and happier. I want to live a life of purpose.

The country we want to live in is decided by how we act, and what we choose to be. We should feel inspired by what we can accomplish, and not by the political candidates we like.

This may be a simple idealistic way of living, but if it leads to a life of purpose and meaning, then I am happy to live it. Some people are happy about political campaigns, and that’s okay. I’m just defending my position on why I don’t care about the election results.

I might be selfish. I might lack empathy, but there is freedom in not choosing between the two major political factions. There is freedom in knowing what you have control over and executing that freedom.

To hell with politics. To hell with tribalism. It’s time for you to truly live for yourself.