"Simple Definition of
politics
: activities that relate to influencing the actions and policies of a government or getting and keeping power in a government
: the work or job of people (such as elected officials) who are part of a government
: the opinions that someone has about what should be done by governments : a person's political thoughts and opinions"
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/politics
As we can see from Merriam-Webster,
Politics includes the concepts of
opinions, power, government and work.
That definitely has to be difficult work. We've all experienced the challenges of trying to govern groups of people of varying sizes, especially when the family or a class from school goes to an amusement park.
1. If I go ride the rides by myself, then I can make great time, but there is no one with whom I can share the experience.
2. If I go ride the rides with just one other person, then we can still make pretty good time and we can share the experience, but there is the additional responsibility of "staying together" as well as the challenge of agreeing on which ride to ride next.
3. If I go ride the rides with a group of three to five people, then progress is often much slower, though the sharing is increased. However, the responsibility of "staying together" can sometimes go "off the charts," and the challenge of agreeing on which ride to ride next can become excruciating.
That is just the governance of trying to get small groups to pull together or to walk in the same direction.
Now, imagine trying to get millions of people to pull together or to walk in the same direction.
Politics is difficult work!