Everyone can have an opinion, but sometimes it’s difficult to back that opinion up.
Some opinions are mostly personal. If you don’t like a certain book, or a type of food, or a style of clothing, that for the most part can be chalked up to personal preference. Sure, there are still reasons for your opinion. Maybe the book had a weak plot, or you don’t like a type of food most of the time, but cooked a certain way and it’s okay. Maybe you don’t like that style of clothing because of how you think it looks on you, or the color/material/whatever.
Will your opinion change later on? Maybe, but maybe not. Chances are your opinions won’t be challenged much beyond “Whaaaat? You don’t like so-and-so?”
Let’s look at some of the bigger, more important opinions. Ones on life, religion, government. I won’t state any, because that’s something for another blog post. We’re just going to look at what it takes to uphold these opinions.
These opinions are much more likely to be challenged, especially if you’re one who broadcasts them or if they shape how you live your life.
You can have these opinions, chances are there are reasons you have them. Maybe you can hold them up for a while, but what about the people with opposing opinions who challenge you? They have just as much reasoning as you, maybe more, and maybe even counterpoints to yours.
People are very stubborn, so they probably won’t change your mind. But perhaps they should. At the very least, such an experience should encourage you to do research to enforce your point of view.
If you intend to argue with your opinion, you need to know the other side’s argument better than they do. You need to know all the opposing points, still be able to say you hold the same opinion, and why. Maybe you’ll change your point of view, and maybe it will change. That’s good. It doesn’t mean you’re weak-minded, it means you’re open to new ideas.
This is useful in debates and in your own assuredness that what you know is true. You’ll become less angry when challenged, more willing to have a discussion. Maybe you’ll change their mind, and maybe they aren’t ready.
What opinions do you hold? Can you uphold them in front of great scrutiny? Maybe it’s time to explore the other side.
You might be surprised by what you find.