We have all heard the parable about the “Blind men and the elephant” they all had their opinion (or truth) about what they experienced but it wasn’t until they came together did they truly understand.
Everybody has an opinion, some people are good at stating their opinion and why they feel that way. Some people state that they have no opinion on specific topics, others sit on the fence and others may have an opinion but are not as eloquent as others in explaining why they feel the way they do. People can get very emotional about their opinions, given the holidays and the chance of family and office gatherings we all know of those “taboo topics” that you hope won’t come up.
I like that people have opinions, I think it is chance to see how someone else thinks and how they may see the same thing that I do, but with a different viewpoint. In fact, that is probably why I travel. I want to see how people in other parts of the world handle situations. It’s not always about technology, available infrastructure or the dominant religion in the area. How often have we seen in the “Western” news that some is hurt and lying on the ground and you see people just walking by or even stepping over this person in duress. Perhaps people are too worried about negative actions if they get involved. However, in some other countries, if someone is hurt, everyone in the area stops what they are doing and comes to help without any thought of recourse.
What has that got to do with opinions? Well, the environment we live in influences our opinion. If you see people being sued for trying to help someone, or being criticized for accidentally making things worse, then your opinion might be that avoiding get involved is the best course of action. However, if you live in a place where emphasis is on the community, then your opinion might be to help anybody that you see needs it.
Who has the correct opinion?
I don’t think that is even a fair question. All opinions are valid and on this website I urge you to give your opinion on articles, however … yup, I have to throw in a however. If you state an opinion I want you to explain why you have that opinion. If you have a favourite team or sport, (and the discussion is about that sport) then sure, in your opinion team A is the best team but try to state why, is it because it’s your home town team?
Again, I want to hear your opinions and hopefully we might be able to better understand other views and maybe, just maybe, we might understand a bit more and not be scared of the elephant in the room.
Cheers!
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