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Embrace Dissent. Silence Your Opinions.
Stoicism & Philosophy
One of my friends is a die-hard conservative, and we disagree on so many different subjects. However, I still accept them and listen to what they have to say. In my own words, I enjoy surrounding myself with individuals who think differently than I do. Not only does it test my patience, stoic mannerisms in practice, and emotional maturity, it challenges me to expand my thinking leading to open-mindedness.
However, our differing opinions are another reminder of how unproductive opinions really are. Why do we tend to get caught up in our opinions?
“The Stoics saw opinion as to the source of most misery. It’s what takes objective situations and makes them good, bad, wrong, unfair, essential, deserved, or outrageous. It’s also what takes things that have nothing to do with us and makes them problems for us. Not liking what some other person is doing, not believing something outside of our control should be done the way that’s it’s being done, and on and on.” — The Daily Stoic
How often have differing opinions made your blood boil or your blood pressure escalate, led to an argument, or caused a fracture in one of your relationships? The time we invest in trying to shove our opinions down someone’s throat is entirely wasted effort.
