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Thursday, May 13, 2010

Opinions are like....

I think we've all heard someone say "Opinions are like..." followed by some body part that everyone has. This is especially true when people discuss politics, as I will attempt to do here. As I begin this journey of expression through the medium of 'blog' I think it is important that we explore the source of our opinions. By doing this from the start it may be possible to avoid any hurt feelings (in theory this would be true, in reality though there will still be a lot of hurt feelings by the nature of the topics to be discussed).
Opinions can be defined as a personal judgment or view based on our perception of facts. A number things influence how we view these facts - culture, sex, age, religion, education level, societal influences, peers, personal experiences, etc. My views may be different from your views because I am a young, religious, and college educated. My opinions will be influenced by growing up the South, but also having lived in Hawaii and the Mountain West. The people I admire most and those I call 'friends' have an impact on the way I see the world around me. None of these things makes my opinion of any more value than yours. What separates opinions is the amount of effort we put into forming them. Did we form our opinion based on gut reactions to what we see and hear? Or do we take the time to research, study, and ponder all of the information available in order to make an educated assessment of a situation?
When opinions are expressed it is very easy for the words expressed to be misinterpreted because we do not fully understand the many influences upon the person expressing their opinion. Often, we do not even wait for an explanation for the opinion before we either agree or oppose it. For instance, if I were to say to you that I agree with many Republican policies and practices some of you would interpret that to be 'conservative' while others would say 'right-wing nutjob'. You instantly have a reaction to the expressed opinion without waiting to find out why I might be inclined to agree with those policies. Rather than react to the statement of my opinion immediately, listen to the reasoning behind that opinion. In that way we can all come to a better understanding of each other and work together in bringing about necessary change.
My goal in writing this blog is to express my opinions, hopefully in the most educated and unoffensive fashion I can muster, and back them up with facts. I hope that you will share your opinions with me in a similar manner so that I can broaden my horizons. Let the journey begin...

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm ready

Unknown said...

you're so eloquent with words Ryan. I'm very much looking forward to things discussed on here:)

Lacey.costner said...

V, how did you find this so quick?? Anyways, I'm excited for this as well. Ryan is really great articulating his thoughts...and well mine too!! lol