What is 'politics', really?

In high school, I took a music theory course. It was my first time in class with the head band director, and he had all 30 of his students writ down what they thought the definition of music was. People had all kinds of different ideas about how to define it, and an interesting discussion ensued. Meanwhile, I stared at my (empty) notebook page. I, to this day, have no frickin' idea what music is. I and I'm going to play it to make a living.

Now, I've recently started this class called the Visual Culture of Politics, and I'm asked to define 'politics.' Its a little bit easier, I guess. But I still don't have a clue about where to start. I guess I'll go with the classic. Merriam-Webster defines it as "the art or science of government." But the connotation I'm familiar with is far different than the definition. Its more about the government officials (or wannabe-officials) than the government. Also, many people use the word 'political' to describe when people act for their own benefit, whether socially or professionally. 

I personally think that both connotations are just mutations of the true definition. Politics is anything having to do with people. If that sounds a little broad, then you understand that politics cannot truly defined as a whole.  Tuna isn't a political issue for me. But in 1986, tuna cans were a political instrument, and were boycotted to allow thousands of dolphins and their descendants to live.

The range of politics is based on the person, just like anything else. You might think that elections are politics for everyone, but that might not be true on the international scale. In the same way, we don't care about a monopoly in Guatemala, it doesn't affect us. Here's a political image that matters to me:

Dolphins? see http://www.eurocbc.org/page322.html