Rev. Holland on sharing our opinions

There has certainly been a great deal of sharing of personal opinions and ideas around here lately, and let me start by being clear by saying that this is a very good thing. It is healthy and helpful. But opinions can be used in various ways and for various purposes.

In philosophy class yesterday, we learned that that according to the 19th century philosopher, John Stuart Mill, opinions are important primarily as starting points for conversation and debate. He believed that truth arose out of the give and take of debate and discussion, and that the best possible debate is one in which our mind is changed. These are the debates from which we take something useful and in which we learn and grow.

What is a personal opinion? My opinions usually consist of a few thoughts, sometimes clear, sometimes less so, about complex subjects of which I know a little bit. In other words, most of my opinions are of limited worth in themselves. However, that is not to say that conversation is not worthwhile. Conversation about our life together is extremely important. Sharing our opinions and listening to those of others, is the life blood of any educational community, but we can either hold our opinions lightly with open minds, or we can use them to beat other people over the head.

Opinions are expressions of our limited understanding of complex issues. It is worthwhile sharing them not because the world has been waiting for baited breath to hear our wisdom, but in order for us to clarify our own thinking and beliefs, and maybe help others clarify theirs.

If we begin to believe that our opinions are superior or truer or more worthwhile than anyone else's, then we become caught in a web of ego that serves only to hold us in ignorance.

Opinions are fun, they are the spice of conversation, but they really are just what one person thinks about something in a particular moment.

So why are they so hard to change? Why do we grasp them so tightly? Because change, intellectual change especially, takes work. It requires us to think for ourselves, to examine our assumptions and to allow that at times we get things wrong.

So, what would it look like to engage in conversations in a truly open way? It doesn't mean not having opinions; it does mean having some modesty appropriate to our understanding and experience. Or if you tend not to offer your opinions much, it means being bold and expressing yourself from time to time. Your opinions may not be better than other people's opinions, but they are just as good.

It comes down to the goals of our conversations and debates. If we are only engaged with others to prove the importance and correctness of our own ideas, then the world will quickly become a very small place, a place filled only with threats to our self-assuredness. When we are open to hearing new ideas, and sharing what we think, and developing our thinking, learning new things, changing our minds on occasion, then the world becomes a very exciting place indeed.

I end with a little story.

A young man goes to see a wise monk. When he arrives, the monk smiles serenely and asked the young man how he can help. The young man says, "I have come to learn form you oh sage one." Then he proceeds to tell the monk about all the things he has studied, all of his accomplishments, his awards, all of the areas in which he is an expert. When the young man pauses for breath, the monk says, "You must be thirsty from all of this talking. Let's have a cup of tea."

The monk begins to pour tea into the young man's cup. He pours until the tea reaches the brim of the cup, but instead of stopping he continues to pour, the tea spills onto the table top, but he doesn't stop, he continues to pour. The tea spills off the table onto the floor.

Finally the young man, who has been looking on in horror, shouts "What are you doing? There is tea going everywhere."

The old monk smiles again and says, "Yes, if the cup is full you can't add anything to it. You came in here to learn something from me, but you haven't stopped talking long enough for me to say a word. You are too full of yourself to learn anything new. Go away and empty yourself before you come back."

Let's keep the conversations going, let's keep sharing our opinions, and ideas, but let's always temper our talk with compassion. And let's make sure there is room in us to learn and grow.

Anyway, that's my opinion.