“Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”
- John. F. Kennedy
Opinions: Everyone has one. What worries me is just how many people draw conclusions without interpreting all the facts, or worse, without knowledge of the subject matter. With the internet, information is at our fingertips, but information is not enough. We must consider the information we are given and analyze what is the truth and where we should stand. The ability to make informed and articulated opinions is severely important in all situations.
Making decisions based entirely on emotion is dangerous and irresponsible. As citizens, it is our duty to formulate political opinions in order to vote responsibly. We must refrain from accepting another's opinion without delving into the topics ourselves. More so, we must prevent our own biases from effecting the decisions we make. What are our biases? Here is a list of common biases humans tend to have:
- We often accept the first piece of information that might work when searching for evidence.
- Inertia- We have an unwillingness to change what we have believed to be true for so long.
- We actively screen out information we deem unimportant.
- We are frequently blinded by 'wishful thinking' and our own optimism can distort reality.
- Recency- We have a tendency to accept newer information and disregard more distant information.
- Peer pressure- We are easily influenced by the majority of a group we are thought to belong to.
How can we prevent our biases from unfairly controlling our opinions and decisions? We must learn to become more self-reflective, more open-minded; we must understand our thoughts and beliefs, our lens. Awareness of your own prejudice, as well as the potential biases of others, will keep you from making a decision that is unjust. So let's arm ourselves with knowledge and stop this takeover of our minds. Think thoroughly, think fairly, and most importantly, think for yourself.
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