The opinions of others on which we place no value are more easily identifiable when we state our opinions. The opinions we state will be formulated mostly by the light or grave values we place on the opinions of other people. Even if our statements and explanations are unique or profound, the inspiration for them comes from either light or gravity values that we have placed on the opinions of other people.
The difference between light and grave valued opinions is the same as the difference between individuality and popularity. It really is not more difficult than that. What makes it difficult is that we are not given choices that are "correct" or "incorrect," nor are they "right" or "wrong." Though binary is comprised of "1" and "0", which as thoughts result in "believe" and "don't believe", the options we are given almost always fall on one of the infinite set of numbers that exist between "0" and "1".
We may even choose individuality in some sets of circumstances, and popularity when safety or acceptance becomes important to us. It is human nature to seek groups for protection, and for groups to require acceptance of expected behaviors.
It is a principle to seek and accept truth when doing so might cost us the acceptance of the group. For example, people who support the second amendment will individually support things like required training before owning guns, limitations on who can purchase guns legally, and keeping guns out of the hands of people who are identifiably sociopathic or psychopathic. However, as a group, they would not support any of these individual opinions of its members, and that includes the people who must, when in the group, place no value on their own individual opinions in favor of popularity with the group. That group requires its grave opinion to be accepted for membership, whether you individually agree with it or not.
The same can be said about religions, fraternal organizations, and political parties. Those who want to belong must abide by the rules while in the group, but they are free to discuss their individual opinions when it will not jeopardize their standing in the group.
We all know people who will wear a silk tie and a cotton shirt who will stand up in a group to claim the Bible says other people are sinning for behaviors that the group deems unacceptable. We all know someone affiliated with a veteran's group who says only patriots respect the flag, but who don't consider Confederate soldiers as enemy combatants who would kill someone carrying the American flag. We all know people who align with one major party over the other major party who contend that individually supporting another option is the same thing as voting for the major party they oppose.
If we are to analyze our own opinions, we must be honest with ourselves about the sources for our opinions. When I say "be honest with ourselves," the first way to identify whether our opinion is based on light or gravity is one of intellectual honesty. If Voltaire's opinion on fighting for others to have the right to disagree with us is an inspiration for your individual opinion on free speech, then Voltaire's quotation is an inspiration of light for your opinion.
If you offer Voltaire's quotation as your opinion, it is plagiarism. Plagiarism is putting forth someone else's work as your own. Popularity within a group may require us to put forth someone else's opinion as our own. The opinion, then, is gravely inspired, which is gravity. It likely has no value to most other people, but it may have grave value to someone who wants to get into the group.
There is nothing wrong with acknowledging that our opinions are popularly based, nor to base some opinions on popularity. Personally, I love sports. I root for my hometown teams and agree with people who feel similarly about the same teams. We may not agree on how best to handle the team, but we know that each other's motive is for the team to win. While it may be fun to interact with fans of other teams jokingly, even that enjoins us in the bigger realm of sports fans. Those opinions are gravity inspired, and they are harmless and even fun.
There is also nothing wrong with placing no value on people's opinions about sports, religion, and patriotism. However, grave opinions of other people that someone places no value on can be deadly if that grave opinion is "thou shalt not kill."
The most difficult part of analyzing our opinions is being honest with ourselves. That requires coming to terms with the truth that if our actions and words do not reconcile, that what we do is the reflection of our true selves.
Socrates said that an unexamined life is not worth living. Some eighteen-hundred years later, Shakespeare said to thine own self be true. Both are statements that individual thoughts based on honest examination are better than those based on offering a popular opinion as one's own opinion.
The best way to exemplify analyzing our opinions for light and gravity is this:
Opinions based on light include two or more premises that can be examined for truth to arrive at a logical conclusion.
Opinions based on gravity include those based on a single premise, such as "my daddy told me and his daddy told him," "the people at work all say," and "where I come from, we believe."
The rest is up to you to be honest with yourself if you want to examine your opinions for truth, or to accept that you don't regard independent thought as highly as you do popularity, which, in itself, is recognition of the truth and a sign of growth.
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Related posts:
The Value of Other People's Opinions
Self Image: What It is and How to Change It
Plato's Allegory of the Cave Applies to Everyone
All the Numbers Between "0" and "1", Morality, and 2008
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