Opinions

“Opinion” is a word that gets thrown around way too often, lately.  As with many other things, there’s a broad sense of entitlement that comes with opinions; everyone has a right to theirs, therefore they should be allowed to express them at will, regardless of any consideration for anyone who might around.  “It’s just my opinion” has become the default defense when confronted by someone who takes exception, as if it can shield one from any sort of question.

It’s not that easy.  Opinions are different from facts.  “The door is made of wood” is a fact—either the door is or isn’t made of wood, so that statement is either a fact or an error.  If the door is made of plastic or metal, then “the door is made of wood” isn’t a fact or an opinion, it’s just plain wrong.  If it is made of wood, then the statement is a fact.  There it is, there’s nothing else to discuss on the matter, unless you want to get into the kind of wood and other deeper considerations, but the basic fact is the door IS made of wood, and there’s an end on it.

Opinions are subjective constructs.  They are based on a person’s perceptions and predispositions, which are shaped largely by their previous experiences.  Everything they’ve ever lived through has worked in some way to affect their opinions and, like all subjective considerations, there’s a lot that goes into making an opinion.  Therefore, opinions can be explored in ways that facts can’t.  Opinions give insight into the thought processes and psychology of the person giving them, whether they want them to or not.  Much of what goes into an opinion is unconscious, of course, but there should also be some conscious thought devoted to them.

That’s the key right there:  conscious thought.  If you haven’t bothered to think about your opinions, why should anyone else?  If you have thought about them, you should be prepared to defend them when someone asks you to.  You opened the door by giving it in the first place, so don’t go running behind the “it’s just my opinion” excuse.  Your opinions are not sacred writ, immune to the ravages of time or the world—they can change.  They’re subjective.  As you grow, they can shift and transform right along with you.  The opinions I had when I was 15 are not the same opinions I have at 38 (at least, not all of them).  Opinions are ideas and the best way to develop an idea is to discuss it with others, to take other ideas and help break down and re-forge it until it becomes something stronger and better.  We’ve all got something to learn.

Of course, there’s another consideration here.  Since everyone’s got them, no one person’s opinions are any more valid than anyone else’s.  Yes, you have the right to your opinion.  You even have the right to express it.  Keep in mind, however, that everyone else in the world has those same rights.  Also, we all have the right to completely ignore everyone else’s opinions.  So think about that the next time you want to spout off about something.  Maybe no one wants to hear your opinion.  If they do, you’d better be prepared to talk about it once someone calls you on what you’ve said.

If you’re not ready for that, maybe it’s better to keep your mouth shut, at least until you learn to engage your brain.