Are we becoming opinionated?

  Opinions always affect you in some way or another, no matter how much you try to isolate yourself. As with social media, it has become easier to share viewpoints; it has become harder to deny the fact that judgments are an integral part of a society. It's in human nature to form perceptions about something on the basis of their own experiences in life; by discerning and comparing, we reach a perspective that we consider right without actually looking at the reasons behind particular behaviors or actions. 

Every person goes through different circumstances in his or her life; we never know each other fully or to the extent that we can put ourselves in the other person's state of affairs while making speculations. The lines by Thomas Cooley rightly reflect how we act in a society: "I'm not who you think I am; I'm who I think I am; I am who I think you think I am.'' We seek validations; the nature of our conduct differs with changing interactions. 

We often see on social media these days that people tend to believe in words said with firm affirmations without going into the actual understanding of the course of conversation. For instance, watching a 15-second video and making strong opinions about a particular matter has become a part of our usual discussions. Our minds need to be liberated from systems that bind us to look into some particular aspects only and act on the basis of preoccupied viewpoints. 

Different reasons need to be heard, ideas have to be discussed, and it is crucial to be liberal about different outlooks. We need to rebuild the culture of talking and understanding each other's standpoints. If we can't listen to someone with sheer consideration and respect towards their point of view, it reflects the sense of arrogance developing in us, and that in turn leads to a lack of empathy for others.