“Opinion is really the lowest form of human knowledge. It requires no accountability, no understanding. The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another’s world.”
I don’t recall whose words those are, if I ever knew, but I do recall saving them because there are times when this column contains my opinion upon some subject or other, usually a current political trend, and I thought it good to keep in mind it is just my thoughts and nothing more.
It is true we all have opinions on nearly every aspect of human existence and we certainly don’t have to be knowledgeable to any degree to opine on a subject, and given the present state of technology, millions may now spout their self-centered views to the world. This is a phenomenon exploited by our current administration with devastating effect to the country; in my opinion.
So, when does opinion become fact? Any statement based upon unvetted information, or original thought, which cannot stand up to scrutiny must be opinion until outside influences or updated, pertinent information becomes available; and still opinions may not change on given subjects. For example, in the early history of this country the predominant opinion about people of color, notably Blacks from Africa and Indians native to the so-called New World, was they were not considered fully human with the former counted as only 2/3 of a person and the latter labeled savages. This was not true, as the science of biology later proved, so for over two centuries the country has addressed the issue of racism and while many opinions have changed, many have not.
There are still millions of voters in America who side with the opinion of our founding leaders and just a few months ago expressed those opinions in ballot boxes. But mass opinion still doesn’t make racism scientifically factual; it should not make racism culturally acceptable but obviously it does for many Americans. (The same type of situation existed, and still exists, in regards to opinion vs. fact about how viable women are to a society; but any discussion on that subject would take another whole column.)
Some of you no doubt see the conundrum here: cannot the opening statement be considered just the opinion of the writer, whomever he or she is or was. It is opinion, but based on a recent national survey the opinion has merit. Results show that 21% of Americans, 52 million adults, are illiterate; 54% of Americans, 141 million adults, can’t read beyond the level of an 11-year-old and 57% of Americans have no education beyond high school. We rank 36th in world literacy levels, with white U.S.-born adults as the largest group with low literacy rates. And we have myriad online social media sites where we can read these low literacy opinions spouted as if they were true; which in the minds of the spouter is true no matter the facts. And there is no accountability for these ill-founded sputterings, no online Truth Police, no online Truth Court where a person is held responsible for outrageous statements masquerading as truth.
Can opinion overshadow truth? It would seem so, if even for a temporary span of time. For example, dating as far back as the year 1550 a map of the Western Hemisphere depicted a large oval shaped body of water stretching from Florida to the Yucatan encompassing 620,000 square miles of water, with the name Gulfo de Mexica; Gulf of Mexico. In the case of 475 years of existence, one can pretty much accept the name as fact, a true name recognized universally. But when the loudest voice in America states his opinion and the low literacy people jump on the bandwagon, then those whose jobs depend upon the votes of those braying voices must fall into place. Now any who fail to bow to this new name face expulsion from the playground. In this case with no new notable information forthcoming, opinion didn’t change truth, it is in fact the Gulf of Mexico. And this present aberration of the truth, this opinion propagated by ego and hubris, will not stand any longer than the present power structure when the Loud Voice will no longer have audience.
And what of the highest form of knowledge, what of empathy? Are we as capable of empathy as we are of opinion? In my opinion, based upon my personal experiences, the answer is no. I find it far easier to have an opinion about something or some person based upon little information that I do to find empathy through getting out of myself and trying to understand the life of others. The adage to not judge until you have walked in another’s shoes is tough to fulfill when dealing with extremes.
In one case, though, I recently sought to look empathically at the situation with our First Family. By and large I don’t think much of the whole clan for too many reasons to go into here, but there is one member I do feel for and that is the youngest son. It would be easy for me to opine as to how this is as spoiled a kid as a spoiled kid can get. He has never been a part of what probably 95% of Americans know as America. He has never known any life but one of opulence and pampering, has only lived among the wealthy in secluded, protected environs or on private campuses. He cannot join in with the masses at amusement parks, sporting events, shopping malls or even a McDonald’s. He can’t walk down the street of any town or city in the country and feel comfortable because he has never ridden America’s highways and byways and met average Americas nor experienced real life in the USofA. And that is a sad way to live, in my opinion.
Take care. Peace.
