What to make of it?
The Stoics Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius both commented that it isn’t the events that disturb people but their judgments about them.
This principle is evident as I write these words from the terrace of our accommodations in Barcelona, Spain. I hear vehicles rumbling down the street, construction noise, and people scurrying about shopping or commuting to work.
Whether these decibels are (i) an assault on my tender suburban senses offended by the sound of a leaf blower or (ii) the pleasing symphony of a city coming to life and declaring its vibrancy is the judgment I impose upon the facts to render an opinion.
January 6, 2021
What do we know beyond that a large group of people illegally entered the capital building, and their presence temporarily interrupted vital government business involving the orderly leadership succession of the executive branch?
Was it (i) a concerted effort to overthrow our democracy, (ii) a movement to abolish the legislative and judicial branches, (iii) an attack on the Constitution, (iv) an assault against truth, justice, and the American Way, and/or (v) a forceful attempt to install a dictator?
Or was it an opportunistic mob without any plan or purpose beyond a raucous diversion? Did Viking hat man give any more thought to his actions than a frat boy on a panty raid? Was the social media influencer/real estate broker with self-professed chemically altered hair thinking beyond her next Instagram post or house listing?
You can answer none, all, some, and more, but anything beyond the simple facts is an expression of your beliefs.
Entitled to Their Own Opinions, but Not Their Own Facts
While used as a pop culture expression, this section’s title originated nearly 80 years ago. Today, our issue is regarding long-held opinions as unassailable facts.
A woman’s right to vote is a fact and the law. However, the right is separate from a position on whether it is appropriate. The fact that appropriateness has been a near-universal (allowing for the one in every crowd) belief for more than 100 years does not convert it into a fact. And that is a good thing.
Women’s suffrage was neither a universal right nor the prevailing viewpoint 150 years ago. Women would not have gained the right to vote if that well-settled view was an indisputable fact. We can say the same about voting rights for minorities.
Those seeking an improvement in humanitarian conditions in Gaza (regretfully confused with and sometimes mixed with anti-Semitic voices) are opening the door to reconsidering Israel’s mostly politically unchallenged authoritarian control of Gaza.
Given these examples, we should pause before deriding someone fighting against a long-held belief. Perhaps they are challenging an opinion disguised as a fact in need of change.
Too far?
There may be some things so wrong that they go beyond opinion. You will be unable to convince me child abuse is acceptable. However, the definition has evolved over the years.
Rather than sit my dad down after a cooling-off period to calmly explain his joke about the ship sinking during their immigration voyage was inconsistent with societal norms, my nonna provided immediate, direct feedback that involved her shoe coming into contact with his nose.
Contrary to today’s probable reaction, the master-at-arms did not come to investigate, and she never saw the inside of the brig. Some changes are good and necessary, but her instruction was effective and enduring, as evidenced by my mentioning it more than 65 years later and the small scar on my dad’s nose.
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Our rush to judgment transforms circumstances into more than they are and unnecessarily disturbs our peace. Remain open and receptive to contrarian perspectives. Pause to contemplate before concluding.
Alternatively, consider the words of my boss at the grocery store. While his words may not sound Stoic, and they have so far only lasted 45 years, I remember him saying, “Opinions are like assholes,1 everyone has one, and they all stink.”
1Substituting an anatomic term would defeat the statement’s impact.