2005-07-29 - 2:00 p.m.
Sometimes it is hard to form an opinion. Whether for fear of condemnation by people on any side of an issue, for lack of appropriate knowledge to form a just opinion, or simply antipathy, sometimes it is hard to form an opinion. Is it justifyable? Is it right to have no opinion on a matter? Does it matter, the gravity of an issue, on the importance of having an opinion? Maybe not. Everyone has a version of the world created in their own head, and if in any one of them (heads), there is the correct logic that justifies not having an opinion on anything, then it can be extrapolated that not having an opinion can be justified to everyone. For example, if a monk somewhere in the high Andes logically reasons that existence is not certain, but for the single source of consciousness that his/her brain envisions being, then nothing in the world provably exists. Hence, arguably, the existence of everything can be challenged. Thereby, everyone can logically justify not having an opinion on anything because nothing exists. Makes sense, right?
However, for almost everyone else on this planet whose senses tell them they and everything around them exists, it can be said that opinions are part of their daily lives.
Now, if you have not left yet after that whole banter in the first paragraph, here are my two qualms with opinions...
First, every day I overhear opinions spewed forth by people who have no semblance of knowledge on the issue upon which they are stating an opinion. And this makes me very upset because very maniacal and gauche people in this world take such baseless dictum, turn it into statistics and use it to rationalize the "desires" or "wishes" of a community of people, thereby to coerce and manipulate systems in favor of what they wish to achieve.
Second, every day I overhear opinions spewed forth by people who have the most knowledge about the least important subjects of our time, argued to the point of what seems to be an Intelligence-Quotient-depreciating stratum! What are people thinking? Better yet, with such useless things floating in their heads, WHY are people thinking?
It may be said that the popular culture and the methods and reasons for the existence of mass media (fiscal profit), definitely influence opinions. It may also be said that the same group is responsible for sparking the issues around which people wrap their minds and form opinions. Not completely responsible, mind you, but for the most part. Because something is not profitable; whether it is ugly, not wrapped up in the right colors, a turn-off, too complicated, mundane, boring, happening somewhere else, improperly communicated, or whatever other reason, it is SELECTED to NOT BE a matter of public discourse.
I would argue that matters of opinion, even the personal reasoning for having an opinion, should be based upon individuals' knowledge of a subject matter, and the objectiveness and universality of the gravity of the issue, not necessarily in that order. Therein, it becomes the responsibility of every individual to educate themselves with everything they can in this world, and give their best efforts to distinguish which among the issues in the world are the grave and of most sophical import. Within that, everyone would form more important and radical opinions, tackling the greater issues of our time, giving humanity a new start toward universal sentiment and, eventually, a eutopic society.
But all of that is just my opinon. And who am I to make such rash reasoning. I'm not even sure I exist.
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