Saturday, October 2, 2010

To Be, Or Not To Be (opinionated, that is)

This plant is fuzzy, but there is nothing fuzzy about an opinionated person. I have a theory and here it is. It is not an opinionated theory, but one that has arisen out of observation and experience.
My business has led me to a great variety of people over the last 35 years, and as a rule, I get to know them fairly well because I live with them in their homes, sometimes for weeks at a time. I observe the way people live and the way they behave. I find it interesting the way people are different and the way they are the same. Generally speaking, those who sit in front of the TV all day are not opinionated and are generally not well informed. Much of society today is bombarded with distractions. We awake to clock radios and listen to or watch radio and TV while eating our breakfast. The commute would be lonely if we did not listen to the car radio, the MP3, or a CD and all the vehicles today are so equipped. We get to the shopping or to work and there is canned music everywhere. We go to a restaurant and there are large screen TV's on every wall. The bill boards on the highway are either revolving or are changing regularly to gain our attention. Everywhere people are texting, listening to their iPods, playing with their iPads, Blackberries, or iPhones, clicking away on their laptops and talking on their cell phones. Everyone is being bombarded incessantly with noise and distraction. 
The result is that nobody has time to think. We are inundated with information and input but never give ourselves quiet time to process or think what we see and hear. We just go on to the next distraction. How, and where, and when can anybody form an opinion any more. When they hear a guy like Bruce Allan, (see yesterday's post) who has an opinion, their reaction is usually, "Why didn't I think of that?" We react to the input, but we do not process it and think it through. Other people's opinions become our opinions but we do not know how to defend them because we have never thought it through. 
I have found the most interesting people to work for are those who read a lot and interact with many different people. They come from all walks of life but the thing they have in common is their appetite for significant information. And then they enjoy discussing important issues with those around them. I am not saying necessarily that these are opinionated people, but they do have an informed opinion and they are often very interesting to converse with.
I like opinionated people because I know where they stand, and I know there will always be something to talk about. When I agree with them, we rejoice and revel in our common ground. When I disagree with them, I like to rise to the challenge of a debate with them. I only feel uncomfortable when they have encyclopedic knowledge about the subject and I don't stand a chance of being taken seriously because of my relative ignorance. That happens a lot. 
Well, by now, you know who I am talking about. I have recently been humbled by engaging in conversation with some highly intelligent men who have very different ideas than I do and when we really get into it, I realise that I have not given certain stands on certain issues enough thought. I am opinionated and it gets me into trouble occasionally. It humbles me and I realise that I need to take a calmer approach and I need to be more open minded. My ideas are not the best, nor the brightest, seldom original, and only my ideas. 
So, when I go on a rant, as I am wont to do, take it with a grain of salt and forgive me when I sound arrogant or that I know it all, or that my solution is the only solution. I am solution oriented and I prefer quick fixes, but as you all know, life is not like that. But that is just my opinion. 
I would say that I was born that way, that is just the way I am, I cannot change, but after the reading the book I will review in my post tomorrow, I know I can change. The question is, do I want to, and with what will I exchange my bent. If I become wishy washy, there may not be any purpose in carrying on with this blog other than sharing some so-so pictures. We will see what the future holds in this regard.    

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