EXACTLY WHAT IN YOUR LIFE requires an opinion? And can kneejerk acceptance be as valid a personal evolutionary strategy as kneejerk fulmination?
Contemplating these questions may not make you wiser, but may make you happier. (But there’s no real guarantee of either.)
We can’t help having an opinion; we must filter everything we take in, otherwise we’d be autistic wrecks curled up in a rocking ball on the floor. So we judge what is worthy of our attention.
My opinion: we have our kneejerk reactions, and then we must choose whether to validate them by action. Do we accept every jerk and creep who slithers into our lives and pockets, to the point of damaging ourselves? Do we denunciate every clueless innocent who shambles across our path, blaming them for whatever circumstances brought them so low? Or do we choose our battles, saving energy and action for the most effective course?
I find the serenity prayer most helpful: serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
Good points. I think the point I was angling for is that opinionation != ease of spiritual/wholistic understanding. And I stick to that opinion firmly! As fellowpoetraveler Dave Wilson puts it, “Death to ALL Fanatics!”