#43 Form your own opinions from scratch

We’re programmed to believe our elders. Because that’s how our parents were raised. We were asked to blindly believe proverbs and life quotes from unknown people. We follow customs just because someone before seven or eight generations made them on the basis of knowledge, circumstances, and their worldview that existed back then.

one had questioned them all these years. When you finally do, you’re considered a rebel. An outlier. A person who disrespects elders and family customs.

My mom often used to say “You read all sorts of nonsense and you come here and talk ill of our forefathers.” My logic is quite simple. We live in a society where one part is wise and another part is stupid. The past would’ve been the same too!

Going by this logic we live in a society where half the so-called ‘wisdom’ or societal customs are passed on from the elders who are stupid. If you take a minute and think about it, you’ll know how dangerous it is. Half of us are following something without questioning the credibility of people who’ve created it. This had led to some dangerous outcomes in the past. Sati, child marriage, and untouchability were some examples.

I’m not saying they’re all right or all wrong. Instead, I’m telling that one should form their own opinion about any subject matter instead of blindly following them. It can be with respect to religion, economics, politics, societal customs, movies, music. Anything.

Read as much as possible. Talk to people with the same and opposing views. Understand an issue from all sides before picking a side. Ask yourself as many questions as possible. After doing all this, form an opinion so that you can defend it during an argument.  And the most important thing is if you realize you were wrong, change your opinion. Don’t keep defending it just because you chose it in the first place.