Why do you voice your thoughts/opinions?

[shootingstar]

I totally get this. It's very wearing to constantly be placed in a defensive position, especially when we aren't really interested in having the conversation in the first place.

My long time friends like to joke that my tombstone will read "All she ever asked was to be left alone", not sure why that's so hard for some people, just leave me alone and I'll return the favor.

I think some of us could say the same about some workplaces where we've been. I have. It's not even having the conversation at all. People just having certain attitudes and expressing it in multiple subtle ways and behaviour as well.

Sometimes it's not just validation we might want to hear, but hear more real, different experiences from the other side. Learn something. I'm open to that as a person who does have some strong views and hope the other person would as well.

For enjoying retirement, I most definitely would not want to live in a predominantly conservative area where basic my core values and my life experiences were undermined/ignored often. I feel for you, Pax. Where I live, is Canada's oil prairie rangeland heartland here in Alberta. It's taken long time locals to change... it's amazing though, what a difference just having a highly articulate mayor, Canadian-born (East Indian and Muslim), can change the face of a city by reminding people to be tolerant and open...Canada is taking in 10,000 Syrian refugees. It disappoints me, the attitudes of some Americans that we read in the press. Very extreme. (Trump is not helping and fuelling a lot of ignorance.)

I also tend to judge "community" in diversity --not just the people, but how the city/an area expresses creative, forward thinking that embraces diversity : arts, regular events, the nature of local non-profit organizations and the local press. And who is in local power --is it homogenous or is there some power sharing in decision-making how public funds are spent, etc. Sometimes if a town/city has 1-2 local universities /colleges with strong programs that draw students internationally, can be a help. For myself, it's a source of learning by taking a course or 2. Online learning does have it's limits, at times.

I probably would get bored living in small, homogenous very small towns...after awhile. I don't need constant external stimulation but my personal inspiration is drawn from interacting with a broad range of people, what they do also. So more local diversity helps me grow too.