Everybody Has an Opinion

Everybody has an opinion, and everyone can share that opinion for all to hear or read. The internet makes this possible through social media and other social channels; however, that opinion means nothing because it's a use of words as the pulpit to project feelings and other issues onto - at times.

“𝑀𝑦 𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑗𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑎𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑘 𝑎 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟, 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑘𝑖𝑠𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝑎𝑠𝑠.” - Christopher Hitchens.

Hitchens said this, I think, knowing that what he said was his own opinion, and approval for said opinion meant nothing to him. Even criticism for his agreement to invade Iraq didn't push him away from his opinion. However, an opinion, even a smart well thought out one, means absolutely nothing and is only a method of sharing how we feel about various things, something or someone; so, holding ourselves (and other people with an opinion) up and above others that take action should be viewed with some kind of scrutiny, because the words one uses can blind and disguise the real actions that the same person made.

Actions speak louder than words, that is the saying, yes? And while I have ventured into schooling that would label myself as a writer, I understand that a person can say something on one hand, and not mean it in another. I understand that a person that says their intentions are whole-hearted and good can also shout obscenities and cause distress to others. I know that it's important to look beyond the glowering face and righteous demeanor of someone and to look, instead, at their actions - current and past.

Past actions can be forgiven, so long as there are steps and further actions made to change. Words are pretty, and someone can so easily say "I am not the same as I was," to only let people down and cause all sorts of mental anguish, whether a politician saying they will do better, or an ex that promises to not cheat after they were caught once.

These times are... interesting, to say the least, because opinion has become the sole source of information and fact for some people. And it doesn't take tuning into Tucker Carlson to see that, just watch some Stephen Colbert, it's almost the same thing. An opinion can hit the right cords, hit the right senses, and so it leaves little room to actually think and form our own thoughts and opinions. While an opinion means nothing, it doesn't mean we should not think and decide what we want and desire from life.

I have given up on watching all forms of punditry as they are propaganda machines at this point. Commentary has become the bane to the people having honest thought and discussion. Why ponder a topic when Tucker Carlson provides that thought for me? Why consider who to vote for when that social media influencer told me who to vote for with pretty words and subjective language (They are so wonderful, awesome, and amazing!)? Or to go in another direction, I listened to that influencer because they got angry and shouted all manner of obscenities to decry a political leader, so they are right... right?

One of the problems with commentary is those pundits and commentators want to speak to an emotional pitch. It's like we are the instruments, and we have a certain tuned sound within us, whether brought on by personal issues, traumas, or a collective hatred/love, and they are trying to hit the same frequency so we can stay on tune with them. In other words: they feed into our greatest fears, distresses, and anxieties, on purpose.

Opinions are everywhere, but that doesn't give them permission to withhold our ability to find calm, peace, and release of our own selves. If you think about it, all of those issues that pundits draw from can be healed within us; however, the challenge is admitting there is something to address at all. After a number of conversations I have had with people (both online and in-person), stress and anxiety is rampant in our lives, and being in such heightened states can affect our prefrontal cortex, meaning there is a possibility of living near the point of "Flipping our lid" (watch a video by Dr. Dan Siegel to understand what I mean by flip your lid), which can cause us to react and work from a point of survival (Fight-flight-freeze).

After all of that, if there is ever a point that an opinion from a pundit or commentator causes one to feel:

-Anger

-Anxiety

-Stress

-Fear

-Hate

There is a good chance that a need to let off some steam is in order. Maybe some deep-belly breathing has to take place, or maybe you need to rant and stomp your feet. Regardless, to act on that feeling and to agree wholeheartedly with a pundit/commentator is to act without any executive functioning in order. It's perfectly human to do so, to let ourselves be taken over by the amygdala, but to discover that distinction between rational thought and high stress can be a challenge. It was for me as I felt being in a state of high anxiety, stress, and anger was how I thought I was supposed to operate and function in. It didn't take much to set me off, and it was easy to be incensed to do or say something I would regret.

I've worked hard to change that, and I know it's not close to being over, because it's part of the joys of living: We try. We fall. We get back up to try again. And it's ok to fall down and admit it too.