Should opinions separate us?

“The opinions that are held with passion are always those for which no good ground exists; indeed the passion is the measure of the holder’s lack of rational conviction. Opinions in politics and religion are almost always held passionately.”

~ Bertrand Russell, Sceptical Essays, 1961

Every single person in this world; irrespective of age, education, ethnicity, religion, social status; have opinions on all matters, regardless of whether they are matters that matter or not. Some people give thought, before forming opinions, and hence their opinions are informed opinions; formed with conviction. Some are merely opinionated. Some others have opinions just for the sake of having an opinion with no knowledge whatsoever of the subject on which the opinion is formed, or formulated.

A few have opinions, wherefore we know not. For most, however, opinions are simply a matter of the heart, and not of the intellect. Many an individual’s opinions are selfish, influenced by personal motives to the disregard of the welfare or wishes of others. The man who never alters his opinion is like still waters, but not deep nor pure, but polluted, and capable only to breed contempt in the mind.

An opinion is a general conclusion held as probable, but without full certainty. A conviction, on the other hand, is different to an opinion in that it is sustained by such evidence as removes all doubt from the believer’s mind; whereas, a persuasion is a confident opinion, involving the heart as well as the intellect.

Opinions can be persuasive; however, the assertions they are based on, can be true or false.

In general, an opinion is a subjective belief, and is the result of emotion or interpretation of facts. An opinion may be supported by, facts. Even so, people may draw opposing opinions from the same set of facts. Opinions rarely change; unless new arguments are presented, understood, and accepted. It can be reasoned that one opinion is better supported by the facts than another by analysing the supporting set of arguments; but its acceptance in spite of the assertions of facts may also be a matter of opinion.

Perspective

In casual use, the term opinion may be the result of a person's perspective, understanding, particular feelings, beliefs, and desires.

It may refer to unsubstantiated information, in contrast to knowledge and fact-based beliefs.

There are several categories of opinions: collective or professional opinion; public, consumer, and group opinions; scientific opinion; legal opinion; judicial opinion; editorial opinion, and so on.

However, of all forms of opinion, it is the individual’s opinion that carries weight; irrespective of it being rational or not. People generally tend to be adamant about their opinions, even if it is openly expressed, or suppressed.

One need not be afraid to express an opinion.

Expressing one’s personal opinion does not have to be a bad thing. It is just that one will not stay quiet, if they do not agree with something.

The only people who see it as bad and attach stigma to it are those that do not like to hear opinionated people talk, those who do not open their minds to beyond what is comfortable to them.

It is possible to be opinionated and polite at the same time. Being polite does not mean that one has to agree with every objectionable idea put forth.

However, only opinions open to judgment and capable of withstanding scrutiny in the face of facts are opinion worthy of standing by. Anything else makes one opinionated, in a negative sense, and simply ignorant.

If a persons mental make up is such that one is fixed on to an idea that takes one over, notwithstanding reason, and against one’s better judgment; then, ignorance and alienation results, because the essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks. In the lack of knowledge, ignorance prospers.

It takes much strength of character to seek and see better understanding. Most people, because of their ego, tend to settle with opinionated views. It is sad, though not, unnatural.

“Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity, opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment.

Most people are incapable of forming such opinions,” said Albert Einstein. That is the reason why, if someone is not what others wish them to be; the others become angry.

Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own. We judge others instantly by their clothes, their cars, their appearance, their race, their education, their social status. The list is endless. Most people decide who another person is before they have even spoken to them. What is even worse is that these same people decide who someone else is, and do not even know who they are themselves.

In fact, Oscar Wilde the brilliant Irish writer and poet, and one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s said it best, when he said: “Most people are other people.

Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.”Those who never retract their opinions love themselves more than they love truth. What such people ought to realize is that if they want people to treat their ideas with more respect, they need to get better ideas. When men exercise their reason coolly and freely on a variety of distinct questions, they inevitably fall into different opinions on some of them.

Passion

However, when they are governed by a common passion, fear for instance, their opinions in most cases will be the same: birds of a feather flock together. Sadly, the huge majority of people lean towards such negative attitudes. Something that we do not understand about a belief system, race, ethnicity, ideologies, life styles that are different from ours, triggers fear.

For the most part, throughout history and now, this defines the way in which human beings behave. If we are unaccustomed to something that which we confront; we act in several ways...one of which is to fear; and this causes the negativity, to focus on the difference rather than seeing similarities.

No one should deny another the right to have an opinion, but no one has the right to be wrong about the facts that define their opinion.

When facts are proved wrong, opinions should alter.If not, if opinions separate us, and if opinions divide us, let us live without opinions.

See you this day next week. Until then, keep thinking; keep laughing.
Life is mostly about these two activities.

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