One thing I personally have been prone to feel is the weight of other people’s opinions. Whether you’ve developed a good way to block it out or handle it, it’s still something that can rear its head, depending on the situation, from arguments, to misunderstandings, to unforeseen interactions.
Whether good, whether bad, it can hold weight. But what we don’t often consider is the weight of our own. Are we helping or hurting? Are we truly making a difference with our opinions, or are we passionately loyal to these “sides” with no end in sight.
I often wondered how much we should even value an opinion, regardless if it is our own or someone else’s. They are almost always rooted in perspective alone and can be subject to change in a random unforeseen event (so as if it would happen to you,) or sometimes, in an instance when more information is received. In other words, most times, it is based on limited information.
A lot of people have their minds on autopilot, and while committed to their idea of how to be a “good person”, but it's hard, because we still manage to do the things we don't want to do. And we all do it. It’s a growing process.
I’ve learned to even devalue my own opinions, in that it only matters if it is productively helping, (not hurting) myself , or a particular group I care for in my life, or as long as it is not an incessant habit of the mental wheel where I’m judging, and drawing unnecessary conclusions. All minds could use some rest and self-control in this modern day circumstance where every app is asking us to rate this, and rate that: “Do you like this?” , “Do you like that?” , And "What do you like about this?", ...and.. “Do you LOVE this…?” The over-function fiercely coerces us to use/share and sometimes calculate our opinions to a rate of 1-5 stars. Seems overworked and unhealthy.
What is so much more valuable than an opinion, is positive intentional energy, which when confidently expressed, can impact situations beyond our knowledge, bypassing opinions, and shifting our world as well as positively impacting the lives around us.
I notice 3 things about opinions in general:
1. They’re like an asshole, and everyone has one. Doesn’t mean you would share it just because you have one and just because you use it, go around passing gas in people’s space. (Food for thought)
Well an "opinion-ater (where opinions come from: the judgement seat of the mind) is more like an asshole, and the opinions can be like the pieces of “caca” produced as a result.
2. Opinions are our personal business. Not to say some of us aren’t very cool, and do have awesome opinions, and not that opinions are wrong, but they are our business. In reflection, we decide whether formidable to share. What is more profound is that there’s nothing wrong with an opinion having power, but the more power (weight) we give it, the more liable is it to be influenced by our emotions. (Emotions – later blog)
3. Opinions separate us more than anything else. They separate us into groups, and endless sub-
groups, and endless sub-groups. Opinions can be drawn into small subcategories based on factors where no one has the same opinion as any other person, creating the illusion that our opinions make us who we are. So as to our active brains, they create separation based on our experiences, our traditions, our faiths, and what we’ve been taught from others… based on something two people can never have the same.
How do we come together in the years to come? It is going to take unity to challenge the powers that be. Oh yes, it IS a must. Those who may share separate opinions as us, we may have to fight along side or work together with seamlessly. How? A white supremacist and a Black Lives Matter activist? A Donald Trump supporter and a Joe Biden supporter? Don’t be silly. These things are possible. Put your opinions in perspective and hold your opinions in check. Who is the boss? You or your opinions? What do we all individually need now more than ever? Freedom. To grow. To learn.
Placing our opinions in perspective is true power. What makes us unique is “who” WE are. Who we are can be such a blessing to those we may share opposing opinions with, creating a passage-way for more of the life we want to live through energy, and allowing people to get along. This takes humility, but can lead us to a unified and healthy society.
