Something has been bugging me lately. I see it all over social media and I have witnessed it in person. There's this concept about opinions, that if someone has a different opinion than you, you're wrong. What is an opinion, though? Well, Merriam-Webster defines it as "a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter" or "a generally held view." Everyone has an opinion about everything from colors to food to people to politics....but I'm not going to give my opinion being that one because in my opinion it's talked about too much on social media already. Why do opinions matter, though? Like, why do people feel the need to be offended or mad about someone else's personal opinion? Me speaking my opinion isn't going to change anything; the world will still be turning even though we might have differing opinions. I'm not trying to change the world with the opinion that I have; I'm just letting my voice be heard.
So, onto the problem itself: the view that if someone has a different opinion, they're wrong, and you're going to tell them that. People are so quick to say your opinion is wrong just because, simply enough, they don't think it. And this is something that I've noticed happening whether it's just about something small, like clothing, or something big, like the education system. However, we're all free-thinking individuals that don't need to have the same opinions as everyone else. You ARE allowed to think what you think and believe what you believe, however, I don't think that puts you in any position to put someone down and silence their opinion. In fact, all that does is one of two things. Either you're going to start some kind of argument or you're going to scare that person from ever voicing their opinion around you or in general. Personally, I believe this stems from a few issues. First of all, there's this communication problem that we all deal with where we just listen to respond, instead of listening to understand, and when you're just straight up saying an opinion is wrong, that shows the intention of your listening. Secondly, I feel like this comes from a lack of respect for differing views or opinions. This can largely be seen in the political world. Go to any political post (there's a lot of them) and just scroll through the comments. here will be so many people name calling and saying that they aren't going to listen, because that person has a differing viewpoint. And thirdly, I think it stems just from the fact that we're all human and when someone has a different viewpoint than us that causes discomfort from the inconsistency that someone doesn't have the same view point.
So, how do we solve this problem? It's something as simple as educating yourself and showing respect. Firstly, recognize that not everyone will agree with you, but then also recognize that that doesn't necessarily mean that they're wrong. Recognize that they're their own person and can think as they choose, no matter how wrong you think it is. Secondly, next time you come across a differing opinion, stop and listen; have an open mind. The world is so much better when that happens. And if you absolutely can't do either of those things from some reason, just agree to disagree and stop talking about that topic.Opinions are such a small thing to get mad about about, so why bother?
