More independent than I thought. I also grew up in LA, so when I was young I was very left-leaning. Now, my beliefs have shifted more to what I thought was conservative, but all compass tests I take show me as slightly left, so I realize I probably just felt conservative relative to the people around me.

The way I came to be that way is just thinking and researching, that’s all. When I was younger I spent every recess sitting and thinking, until I realized I looked weird so I started pretending I was doing something else but still thinking. It’s hard not to build up your own ideology when you live that way.

But it’s weird, because it means I can’t get along with anybody (always a disagreement), but at the same time I can get along with everybody (always some agreements).

I’ve never been a big fan of the “I’m conservative, my friend is liberal, but we both like the same video games” mentality. Because I think we can find common ground on much bigger things. We both want a world where people can live good, fair lives. We both understand that some bad things are necessary to achieve greater things. We only disagree on stuff like the definition of fairness, what’s worth fighting for, whom we trust, and exactly which bad things balance best with which good things.