In previous columns, I and the people I’ve interviewed have attempted to stress the importance of creating healthy and productive ways to have conversations with those that don’t agree with our points of view.
Whether that means trying to find common ground with one another, or even attempting to change a person’s mind and bring them over to your side of thinking.
In both articles, the subjects have personal experience in finding common ground with those who disagree with them, and even on occasion, facilitating the conversation that changed their minds.
But what about the people who’ve had their minds changed? What about the folks that have had a complete about face in worldview?
That brings us to Ginger. Ginger is 21 years old and the only child of a middle-class family from Columbia, Tenn.
Ginger found herself completely transformed, not only from a worldview perspective, but also spiritually.
“Politics wasn’t something that we thought about all the time. If the news was on, it was just local channels that we watched”, Ginger said.
Like many Americans, Ginger said her idea of politics was one side just yelling at the other (she was kind of right). But, while she didn’t grow up in a huge political household, she said she can’t remember a time when she didn’t care about what was going on around her.
Ginger says “I always saw myself as an environmentalist, pro-abortion, atheist”.
She continued to say, “I had fully bought into the idea that an unborn baby was just a clump of cells”
I asked Ginger why she had bought into that idea, she said, “it was just something that I didn’t really think about any further. I was really career driven and didn’t want that to be derailed by being forced to have a baby”.
When I asked her what happened in her life that changed her mind, she said, “I looked at the science behind it. All the arguments about viability didn’t make sense because viability changes all the time based on medical advancements.”
She went on to say, “I didn’t really understand why the baby was a person just because of a heartbeat either.”
Because of this, Ginger came to the conclusion that life begins at conception.
Ginger said after she became pro-life was when she found faith.
“My dad wasn’t religious and my mom always was, but church wasn’t something that was regular in my family,” she said.
Ginger said she was transformed spiritually because “for me, when I changed my mind about something so drastically as life vs. abortion, the rest kind of fell into place”.
By Ginger’s own words, she went from being a pro-abortion, environmental enthusiast, to a conservative who now attends college here in Alabama.
Ginger is the founder of the Capstone Free Press at the University of Alabama that allows conservatives the ability to voice their opinions.
According to Ginger, “the other news outlet on campus is definitely liberal, so conservatives need an outlet that is here for them.”
The Capstone Free Press broke the “Dixie Delete” story, which came about when faculty and student leaders at the University of Alabama worked to remove the word “Dixie” and gendered language from the Alabama fight song, “Yea, Alabama.”
I asked Ginger if she thought it was important for the younger generations to be involved politically and just involved in their communities overall.
I must admit, I’m someone that gets so passionate about things that I just assume everyone is or should be as passionate about it as I am, but Ginger gave a really wonderful answer to that question.
“I think if younger people feel naturally inclined to be involved then I think that’s great. Go for it,” she said.
“I think what’s more important than being involved politically is young people having guiding principles. Without them, there are real world consequences.”
Ginger’s story is a story of maturity. Not because of the specific conclusions she came to, but because of the unemotional examination of her own belief system.
Once she came to the conclusion she no longer agreed with the things she used to, she changed her mind and her life to be consistent with those values.
If you or someone you know has a story to tell, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].
“Elevating Young Voices” is a series that provides a platform for the next generation of leaders to share their perspectives on issues in America today. Each individual represents the new face of what it means to be pro-Alabama.
Nate Butler is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News. You can find him on Twitter @realnatebutler or on Instagram @_nate_butler
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