I read a book back when I was in China by the Dalai Lama. I don't remember the exact quote but in a response to a question about anger, he said something along the lines that anger is almost always a destructive thing unless it leads to a sense of urgency and action.
That said...
I decided a few months ago that I was going to make a conscious effort to stay up to date on what was going on in the world. It seemed logical considering I have been traveling around it for the last year. Up until recently, I just wasn't interested. I had no idea about anything besides what I picked up from random conversations. Other than the elections back at home, I was basically oblivious to what was going on in the world that I had been living in. I'm embarrassed to say it but its true.
So with this change of heart, I set out to take in as much as a could. I bought every weekly magazines and daily newspaper I could. Then I would sit down over a cup of coffee and read. Id finish a cup, make another one, and read some more. It was almost romantic. Hot news and cold coffee.
I was hoping to just read objectively and just take in what I was reading without a bias. I hadn't set out to form an opinion but after a few weeks I was beginning to have an opinion on everything. Things I didn't even know were going on the week before, I had something to say about it. And to be honest, I didn't like it. I liked knowing what was going on in the world, but I didn't like having an opinion.
Here's why:
I think that opinions can be applied to the statement the Dalai Lama made about anger - opinions are almost always a destructive thing unless they lead to a sense of urgency and action.
I don't say that as an excuse to be oblivious about what is going on in the world, or to any other thing or subject you can take an opinion. The only other thing worse than a stagnant opinion is oblivion.
But what good does having an opinion on anything do unless it leads to some type of action? Having a well rounded opinion on something can be extremely dangerous because it can provide the illusion that we are connected to the subject of our opinion without doing anything about it.
Take for example politics. I have sat at many a conversations where people can argue about their politcal opinion all night until the sun comes up. But when the sun comes up, they dont do anything about it. Their opinion never takes an action. All it is is a tool to manipulate and dominate a conversation.
Or maybe religion, dare I say Christianity? Every Christian has an opinion on what it is to live as a Christ follower. And many can have in-depth conversations about theology and their opinion on a certain interpretation of this or that verse. But rarely do our opinions ever turn to action. The message of Christianity is simple. If Christians actually lived based of their opinions and conviction, the world would be a much different place.
I don't write this from a high and mighty platform. I am writing it because I am guilty of it. If I lived based on my opinions of things, my life would be radically different. I would be doing more with what I have been given. But its hard.
Its easy to have an opinion, but the challenge is actually to let your opinion change who you are and how you act. If having an opinion on something doesn't actually lead to action, I would question our motive for having an opinion in the first place.
(this is long and probably doesn't make much sense, back to the news and coffee)
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2 comments:
Hey Mike,
Here's a blast from your high school past. I must say that your post resonates with me... I'm currently in a PhD program at Indiana University Bloomington and am struck with the amount of opinions and the lack of action (myself included).
I'll be seeing Alic in about a week. I'm looking forward to it.
Hope all is well with you.
Becky Cramer
Mike: First off, let me say thank you to you from my wife and I for traveling with Russ. It sounds like the two of you had a fabulous experience, and we're so glad he was able to have it with you, a good friend who challenges his heart and mind. Our prayers go with you as you continue your travels, and we hope that your beliefs and values will make you a great blessing to everyone you encounter. Thanks again and grace to you. Now, I also wanted to comment on your latest entry on opinions. I love the idea you've floated here about the need to make our opinions jump into action. But I was struck by your final statement about our "motivation for opinions". Actually, opinions in general are basically our thoughts and ideas (I stole that wording from Wikipedia because I thought it particularly apt!) on any given topic. I have the impression that many of our opinions are for the most part thoughts off the top of our heads. Though we do tend to hold opinions that gain some depth of thought over time and grow and shift and change over time, but a lot of the opinions we express in daily conversation are pretty much our gut reaction. For the most part too, I don't think that there is much by way of "motive" behind our opinions, unless of course we are seeking to gain something through their outward expression. I'm of the OPINION that the irritation you express here about our opinions not turning to motivation is really more appropriately leveled toward our values and beliefs. Our opinions and attitudes in life spring from our beliefs and values--the things we hold to be true, and the things that we hold in high esteem. Our beliefs and values should be the things that lead us to action. Of course, life in the modern world is at times very complicated, and the daily grind of "survival" often numbs us to the need for actions based on our beliefs and values. There are plenty of topics in life about which we have opinions, and no one would ever be considered less the person for never acting on them. But of course there are also larger scale issues and topics that we hold opinions on, based on our beliefs and values, that we ought to mobilize into concrete actions. If we were to need to act on everything that we held an opinion on, we'd have a hard time attending to the everday requirements of "survival" in the modern world. But the issues in life that are large and important in the affairs of men should, I agree, prompt us to get off our butts and do something. Of course much of what we do in our lives is motivated by our interaction with life and how it meshes or collides with our value systems; men impact the world by the way they ACT in harmony with their BELIEFS and VALUES. Just some thoughts I had. Have a great week. We hope and pray you will get into China and will have a great run of life there. Mike Long (Russ's Dad)
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