Having an opinion takes work

“Thinking is difficult, that’s why people prefer to judge.” —Carl Jung

What is an opinion? An opinion is a judgment based on what you know… or think you know. It’s not a fact and it’s definitely not the truth.

Forming an opinion requires thinking for yourself, which people avoid, as Bertrand Russell said, “Most people would rather die than think—and many of them do.”

Learning to think for yourself means never forming an opinion until you’ve done the work required to earn it. This includes:

• Looking for opposing facts, information, and evidence

• Questioning your assumptions

• Considering how you might be fooling yourself

• Test your opinions through debate against the strongest counterarguments

With the advent of social media creating an environment where opinions are shared without restraint, remember what Maimonides wisely said: “Teach thy tongue to say ‘I do not know,’ and thou shalt progress.”