I recently grappled with the idea of renaming this blog “Soapbox Sara” since I seem to be so utterly opinionated these days. Then it occurred to me that opinions are boring. (And, well, that name was already taken). As we suffer through this election season, the ridiculousness of the political propaganda I’ve seen has reached an all time high. Opinions have never been more accessible. Used to be you had to ask someone how they felt, now you can just log onto your favorite social media site and be bludgeoned with verbal viewpoint vomit.
Now I’ll admit – it’s fun to watch sometimes. I’m often surprised at the veracity with which some folks express their thoughts, and I’m often guilty of judging them for their opinions.Â
Isn’t it all just an inherent desire to be heard?
I’ve never met a person who’s mind was changed after someone berated their opinion, with insults OR facts. I think our opinions are part of us, as another piece of our identity – a way we define ourselves. Opinions give us strength, because indesicion appears weak.
I once heard that “You’ve go to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything.” But I see some people clinging to an opinion, simply because they want to solidify part of their identiy. Someone gave them a fact or figure (regardless of how biased or skewed that fact might be) and the hold firm to it like a drowning man to a life-preserver.
Why? I think it’s because it’s scary to say “I don’t know”. It might make us seem… less of a person.
In this heated election season, I implore you to ask yourself:
-Is this opinion mine, or did I borrow it?
-Do I make judgements of other people because of the opinions they express?
-What does my opinion say about me?
-If I’m unrelenting in the expression of my opinion to others, what I am I trying to accomplish?
We all want to be heard, and we all want to find something with which to identify. I love election season because it gives us an opportunity to examine who we really are and what we stand for…. if we are brave enough to face it.
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See if you are brave enough : take the candidate quiz