I can definitely see why your friends, family may give you the title of devil’s advocate, instigator, dissenter, etc.
This entry packs a serious punch, but as a serious response…
I think that not every belief needs to be challenged – which mates to my feeling that having opinions just for the sake of having them is not worthwhile. I think of beliefs as personal truths, and I think of opinions as *just* opinions – things that are changeable if aptly challenged, and rightfully so.
It’s the combination of both – beliefs that ground us, and opinions (or changeable and changing judgments) to help us grow – that define a person as an individual.
If that’s skewed out of balance, than either we become so stubborn that we can’t see the forest for the trees, or we become so myopic that we lack genuine context for the opinions we profess to ascribe to.
That’s a great perspective. I think you are right, but everyone’s balance between beliefs and opinions is different. I personally like when people challenge my opinions for the most part, but there are some things I just believe and don’t want to have to explain why I believe them. Religion and other basic morals I hold fall into this category. Everything else is up for challenging though
It is true that without challenging our opinions, we cannot refine them. One person alone, will plateau. I like to think of it like this:
Imagine you are standing against a flat wall, and you need to climb it. With one wall, you cannot get any higher than you are. If there was another wall opposite, you would be able to use the two walls to propel yourself up.
It’s just like opinions.
If you only have your own opinion to consider, than you will not have the chance to compare it with others, making it difficult to refine it, and take it to the next level.
If you believe that you don’t need to go higher, than you have only to look at the constant progress of mankind in realizing we can always refine our ideas to make them stronger.
Maybe the person just doesn’t like strife or perhaps debating turns into an argument when the person feels like their opinions are being attacked and that is why they shy away from debates that challenge their point of view? I think you touched upon on an important distinction. I generally would rather explain than defend my opinions, and if someone raises a point that undermines a fundamental assumption in the attempt to make my explanation better, then I am all for that. But sometimes there are people who attempt to poke holes in a combative manner that may irk some people. Haha, and that is not to suggest you do that, but I just wanted to present an alternate view about why some people may shy away from debates.
But to add seriousness to my post, I’d like to suggest that perhaps we should be re-evaluating our beliefs and not necessarily our opinions. I think opinions are more transitory in nature and easier to change than beliefs. To me, growth really occurs when we are comfortable challenging our beliefs and being able to accept that a belief we hold dear may in fact be wrong.
For example, if I were to hold the opinion that men are better suited for most tasks than women, I would probably be more likely to alter that opinion if given proof that my original opinion was not true. This rests on the assumption that my opinion was based on something not substantiated by anything. On the other hand, if I held a belief that men are better suited for most tasks than women, I would probably be less likely to alter my belief due to many of the reasons you have given (finding ways to dismiss evidence in the contrary and focusing on or seeking evidence that confirms my belief.
Basically, I’d like to say that I don’t think all beliefs necessarily arise out of opinions that are not challenged. So while it is important to challenge your opinions, I think it is just as important to challenge your beliefs every once in a while.
And I’d also like to disagree with both Casey and Todd. Belliefs need to be challenged (not necessarily attacked but re-evaluated) and people don’t necessarily plateau if alone(self-reflection). But I do appreciate their perspectives.
My question is why don’t you have a blog? This would make a great post, and it’s about the right length.
I completely understand that some people hate getting their beliefs/opinions challenged. My husband is one of them and it drives me crazy sometimes, but I can’t expect everyone to be the same as me.
You are hitting on some interesting distinctions – for example, not all beliefs come from unchallenged opinions. It’s something interesting to explore… I might have to think about that one some more.
Thanks for the comment, and I’m serious about seeing a blog from you in the future =D
Please take down my photo from here.
Please delete any copies you have of it.
In the future, if you want to use my photos, please ask me.
Please do this now.
You can choose to forgo opinion. Opinion leads to politics and politics does not contain truth. Anyone who can stay silent and challenge their own ideas by staying committed to their search for truth has no need for opinion and must eventually give it up completely.
You can choose to forgo opinion. Opinion leads to politics and politics does not contain truth. Anyone who can stay silent and challenge their own ideas by staying committed to their search for truth has no need for opinion and must eventually give it up completely.
My friend who happens to be a woman (I am a man) has been trying to tell me this for a while. I am going to try with God’s help to become open minded. Thank you for this it has helped me and God has used you.
Monica O'Brien is the Director of Digital at Fizz and author of the book Social Pollination, which helps businesses leverage social media for crazy growth!
"Must read for business owners, marketing professionals, or students looking to understand the next monumental shift in marketing and advertising." Patrick Ambron, CMO of Brand Yourself software
Monica O'Brien is the Director of Digital at Fizz and author of the book Social Pollination, which helps businesses leverage social media for crazy growth!
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I can definitely see why your friends, family may give you the title of devil’s advocate, instigator, dissenter, etc.
This entry packs a serious punch, but as a serious response…
I think that not every belief needs to be challenged – which mates to my feeling that having opinions just for the sake of having them is not worthwhile. I think of beliefs as personal truths, and I think of opinions as *just* opinions – things that are changeable if aptly challenged, and rightfully so.
It’s the combination of both – beliefs that ground us, and opinions (or changeable and changing judgments) to help us grow – that define a person as an individual.
If that’s skewed out of balance, than either we become so stubborn that we can’t see the forest for the trees, or we become so myopic that we lack genuine context for the opinions we profess to ascribe to.
Casey,
That’s a great perspective. I think you are right, but everyone’s balance between beliefs and opinions is different. I personally like when people challenge my opinions for the most part, but there are some things I just believe and don’t want to have to explain why I believe them. Religion and other basic morals I hold fall into this category. Everything else is up for challenging though
It is true that without challenging our opinions, we cannot refine them. One person alone, will plateau. I like to think of it like this:
Imagine you are standing against a flat wall, and you need to climb it. With one wall, you cannot get any higher than you are. If there was another wall opposite, you would be able to use the two walls to propel yourself up.
It’s just like opinions.
If you only have your own opinion to consider, than you will not have the chance to compare it with others, making it difficult to refine it, and take it to the next level.
If you believe that you don’t need to go higher, than you have only to look at the constant progress of mankind in realizing we can always refine our ideas to make them stronger.
Todd,
That’s a great analogy. I love it! Thanks for sharing.
Maybe the person just doesn’t like strife or perhaps debating turns into an argument when the person feels like their opinions are being attacked and that is why they shy away from debates that challenge their point of view? I think you touched upon on an important distinction. I generally would rather explain than defend my opinions, and if someone raises a point that undermines a fundamental assumption in the attempt to make my explanation better, then I am all for that. But sometimes there are people who attempt to poke holes in a combative manner that may irk some people. Haha, and that is not to suggest you do that, but I just wanted to present an alternate view about why some people may shy away from debates.
But to add seriousness to my post, I’d like to suggest that perhaps we should be re-evaluating our beliefs and not necessarily our opinions. I think opinions are more transitory in nature and easier to change than beliefs. To me, growth really occurs when we are comfortable challenging our beliefs and being able to accept that a belief we hold dear may in fact be wrong.
For example, if I were to hold the opinion that men are better suited for most tasks than women, I would probably be more likely to alter that opinion if given proof that my original opinion was not true. This rests on the assumption that my opinion was based on something not substantiated by anything. On the other hand, if I held a belief that men are better suited for most tasks than women, I would probably be less likely to alter my belief due to many of the reasons you have given (finding ways to dismiss evidence in the contrary and focusing on or seeking evidence that confirms my belief.
Basically, I’d like to say that I don’t think all beliefs necessarily arise out of opinions that are not challenged. So while it is important to challenge your opinions, I think it is just as important to challenge your beliefs every once in a while.
And I’d also like to disagree with both Casey and Todd. Belliefs need to be challenged (not necessarily attacked but re-evaluated) and people don’t necessarily plateau if alone(self-reflection). But I do appreciate their perspectives.
Tony,
My question is why don’t you have a blog? This would make a great post, and it’s about the right length.
I completely understand that some people hate getting their beliefs/opinions challenged. My husband is one of them and it drives me crazy sometimes, but I can’t expect everyone to be the same as me.
You are hitting on some interesting distinctions – for example, not all beliefs come from unchallenged opinions. It’s something interesting to explore… I might have to think about that one some more.
Thanks for the comment, and I’m serious about seeing a blog from you in the future =D
Please take down my photo from here.
Please delete any copies you have of it.
In the future, if you want to use my photos, please ask me.
Please do this now.
religion is an opinion. that is my belief. great article BTW
religion is an opinion. that is my belief. great article BTW
religion is an opinion. that is my belief. great article BTW
You can choose to forgo opinion. Opinion leads to politics and politics does not contain truth. Anyone who can stay silent and challenge their own ideas by staying committed to their search for truth has no need for opinion and must eventually give it up completely.
You can choose to forgo opinion. Opinion leads to politics and politics does not contain truth. Anyone who can stay silent and challenge their own ideas by staying committed to their search for truth has no need for opinion and must eventually give it up completely.
My friend who happens to be a woman (I am a man) has been trying to tell me this for a while. I am going to try with God’s help to become open minded. Thank you for this it has helped me and God has used you.
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