Why do we take our opinion so strongly?

[PepperBlossoms]

I am realizing that the opinion one has of the world is so strong and that when it comes into contact with a different one, there is such anger, disagreement, collision.

It is weird how we take it so strongly, so seriously.

It is like we get into the grips, handcuffs, walls of the religion/idea/opinion and it is hard to knock those walls down or see into the other person's wall.

Yes we identify with it, we have our values based on it, we make decisions based on it, we make our life purpose based on it, we talk about stuff and focus on stuff based on it - - and yet it has HUGE HUGE impacts - wars, deaths, blood, slavery, laws, whatever.

It is weird that we have a hard time seeing the other person's view - but maybe it is a lack of creativity, laziness, lack of imagination, lack of empathy for the other person's perspective, lack of curiosity/questioning/honesty, lack of understanding, lack of caring, selfishness, etc.

I kinda wish I didn't care so much about my opinion but also don't know how to stop caring - - but also I kinda don't care about a lot of other stuff.

I guess our opinion impacts our survival and we take on one that we think helps that.. but then when there is nothing to survive.... why still have a strong opinion?

[Gesundheit2]

Identification is necessary to ground us in reality. Otherwise, we'd all be insane, and this communication would not be possible.

But it's not like we're either 100% rigid or 100% fluid with our beliefs. Most people are fairly open-minded and can display a wiggle room and some fluidity with a lot of ideas as long as those ideas are not perceived a threat to their survival/identity on some level. We can consider this perception of threat a web of meta beliefs that operates behind the scenes underneath the conscious level.

Where does that web of beliefs come from? I'm not sure. But probably it's in the nature of humans. A normal human being probably can't survive without somehow forming beliefs about reality. But these webs develop and become more nuanced and complex with experience and reflection.

Now, how much of those beliefs are conscious and how much are unconscious? That's the important question, because the answer dictates everything. The more conscious you are, the more easily you can see with clarity and navigate through those webs of beliefs, you will be proactive and in a powerful position. And the less conscious you are, the more you will be in an emotionally reactive state, or maybe a passive state in some cases depending on the kind of beliefs you may have.

But it's not always clear whether a person is actually acting from a highly conscious place or otherwise.. Because a highly conscious person might sometimes need to use what might look like an emotionally reactive response in order to be effective. As well, a low consciousness person might try to mimic highly conscious behaviors by acting cool or passive. So, it's not necessarily correct to associate certain appearances with levels of consciousness. In that light, it's not necessarily correct to associate fluidity of opinions with high consciousness. That's a trap you want to avoid.

In terms of Spiral Dynamics, a stage Green hippy is not necessarily highly conscious, even though they might display what might look like high consciousness by being super accepting and fluid. A truly highly conscious person understands the subtle nuance here and is not limited to a certain way of thinking or talking or behaving.

In other words, identifying strongly with opinions is not necessarily bad, and identifying less strongly is not necessarily better, nor is it the most conscious thing to do. In fact, in a lot of cases, it's low consciousness mimicking high consciousness behavior.

Edited October 12, 2021 by Gesundheit2

[Terell Kirby]

Great question. Our sense of self is often tied with our positions on things. Going against that position means the death of ones existing way of interfacing with reality through various belief systems. This is threatening to the ego, and will often result in backlash in the form of denial, anger and projection. All of these emotions are rooted in the fear of realizing that you do not have the full picture of life.

[hyruga]

It's not just your opinions. It is also the basis of your identity.

For example, you may identify yourself as an American, a Christian, a certain gender, a certain age.

If anyone threatens your country or your religion, you are bound to want to defend your identity and opinions. But sometimes, it's also about being open-minded and being able to see the other person's point of view. 

Edited October 13, 2021 by hyruga

[HypnoticMagician]

@PepperBlossoms

I don't have strong opinions. But I like to troll people by pretending as if I am a strong believer of the opinion I try to present to my opponent. Why am I doing that? Just for fun I am just curious how my partner or friend will react to this pretty assertive presentation of mine. I always wonder who they will react.

[PurpleTree]

yea it's funny

everybody thinks they're soooo right

"sjw's" and rightwingers both think their opinion is the truth

vaxxers and anti-vaxxers (hate those words)

they never once think that maybe it's not actually the truth

i also have it, but do question my beliefs even if i keep them and feel strongly about 'em

Edited October 13, 2021 by PurpleTree

[Arcangelo]

You know the answer :

EGO

[Shin]

Because we confuse our opinions with our sense of identity.

[yetineti]

Our opinions are based on our sense of reality.