Some of you may have tuned into 'Can of Worms' on TDT the other night and say what you will about the show, I personally like it. I like the fact that it forces sometimes uncomfortable conversation, asks hard hitting questions and enforces a no fence sitting policy. While some might think that enforcing either yes or no answers leads to division, I think in a lot of ways it encourages stronger character and mutual respect. If someone knows what they believe and can discuss their reasoning without coming off too arrogantly, then people can learn from one another better.
I think in a lot of ways society has moved away from having an opinion. This may be because of political correctness, being afraid that someone will take offence, or that their opinion will be wrong, leading people to hide their view or even lie about it to avoid trouble. It is this attitude that has lead many Australians to take aim at current politicians, from all parties for trying to impress everyone instead of actually standing to their beliefs and leading. It's what leads people to click the 'Maybe' attending button on invitations just in case something better comes up. Our inability to make definitive decisions and have absolute opinions is dulling down our culture and when I say absolute opinion I don't mean that you become stubborn and unwilling to listen and perhaps change. Instead I mean that you need to know what you believe on an issue so that you can actively contribute to discussions and opportunities to share.
Having said all this I have to back track a little. While I think society would benefit from more people avoiding the fence sitter attitude, you have to think, surely there are some issues that are just too complex to have a yes or no answer to. Is it ok for a rape victim to get an abortion if they fall pregnant? Is it even ok to get an abortion at all? What if the child is going to be born with a deformity? Do you have opinions on these issues, or are they too complex and rely on too many variables to give an ultimate over arching yes or no answer to. Opinions are opinions, not facts and if people could learn to accept each others opinions more openly without taking offence and use that opportunity to respectively share their own opinions. I believe that people would be able to engage in thought-provoking conversation and form a mutual respect for one another. It's not about trying to convert someone over to your own beliefs. Instead, it's about deciding if there is something to learn from the other person, and if all parties enter a discussion with that attitude no one gets offended, thus allowing everyone to work on shaping their absolute opinion.
So in the next week or so try and actively make yourself pick a side. Avoid saying, 'I don't know', 'I'm not sure', 'whatever' and 'meh' and see what conversations you find yourself in. And who knows, you may even learn something or you might even teach someone something. Just remember respect is key.
So do you agree with this post? Let me know in the comments below, yes or no? And if you really like you can explain your reasoning.
