On Opinions!

I have observed during forum discussions on the internet that  when others' opinions differ from those of theirs, people think, assume and argue that others are wrong and only they are right! This aspect of peoples' psychology needs a bit of analysis and clarity for the discussions to move forward without any hitches! As I am running a network where forum discussions happen every day and  also as I am participating in collaborative projects where such discussions are common, I feel this is necessary.

In my view, opinions are of two types:

1. Opinions based on peoples' experiences

2. Opinions based on prejudices and false beliefs

The first one - opinions based on peoples' experiences - is interesting. Different people will see different aspects of a problem in different angles depending on their understanding of the world around them. A person who faced  difficulties all his life might say life is full of miseries. A person who experienced  success most of the time might say life is full of happiness. Who is right and who is wrong here? Both are right given the conditions in which they live.  My experience is mine and yours is yours. I will express my opinions based on my experiences and you based on yours. Just because my views differ from yours you cannot say I am wrong and you are right. There could be other experiences beyond our world of understanding. Can a rich man who never faced poverty fully grasp the problems faced by a poor man? Understanding, not ridiculing each other for expressing our opinions based on our experiences, is what takes us forward in forums and collaborations. If we reject others' opinions as false, it is like saying the other parts of the world don't exist and only we and our world exists. That narrows our view of the world.

The second set of opinions based on prejudices and false beliefs is difficult to deal with. I have seen in several fora, people attack others just because they come from another part of the world, from another culture, economic background, another religion or field. I will give examples here. I have heard outrageous comments like " These third world idiots don't know anything about technology!" , "Science is all humbug and nonsense. Only religion is true!"

Aren't these second group of opinions highly coloured and far from truth? The biased state of minds of people who harbour them can never see truth. The prejudices mask the reasoning capacity of the human mind. These opinions create bitterness and ill will and are responsible for arguments and waste of time. These should be discouraged. People who are coming for discussions on internet should keep such prejudices at bay and learn how to deal with different people from all parts of the world in harmonious manner. I always obstruct such people who don't have any important work to do except attacking others. Some even vent their anger because of personal problems on people who "look differently from the ones of their neighbourhoods"  in the forum discussions.

Who are we to say anything about anybody? Who are we to judge people? Even if we hear opinions based on experiences that are different from ours, we should try to understand them. If they are true, we should be open minded to accept them. If they are prejudiced, mildly remind the speaker such opinions are unwelcome in the world fora. If they don't listen,  make them realize it in the harder way for the sanity of the people participating in the discussions. There shouldn't be any hard feelings after that. Everybody is a friend in this world. We deal with all sorts of people. Each person we come across opens a door to a different world and enriches our lives! Learn from them and move on.