Opinions are like….

If everyone has one, why has it become so tricky when one wants to express theirs.

Have you ever had one of those moments, when you realize that the universe does not revolve around you?  No, I am not talking about egotism run amok.  I am talking about that moment when you realize that not everyone is going to like the same things that you do all the time.  I remember being in fifth grade and a girl in my class who I was friends with thought “Tears for Fears” was the best band ever.  Another girl was really into the music of “Wham.”  They had this big fight over who was the better musician.  I realized at that moment that people do not all like the same things.

In fact, sometimes you may be in a very small minority.  Like the people who honestly enjoy eating fruitcake.  My Grandma Margaret (Grams) and I do.  And I know of one or two other people who like to make it as well as eat it.

At one time the status quo suggested that the earth was flat.  If you challenged this idea or opinion by consensus, you were considered a radical, stupid, and would be publicly humiliated.  Computers that we carry in the palms of our hands were once science fiction, and now a majority of the planet is connected through what we call a cell phone.  Ideas change.  Everything changes.  Just because the “Status Quo” says something or expresses an opinion, it does not mean it is right.  It just means it is someone’s opinion.

“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”  -Haruki Murakami

The challenge is being able to express an opinion and being able to recognize and respect that others will have different opinions.

I have a friend whose first husband loved Star Trek, was beyond the textbook version of a Trekkie.  He could watch it twenty-four hours a day, three hundred and sixty-five days a year.  I enjoy watching an episode of Star Trek or one of the movies randomly at any given time.  I have even enjoyed catching one of the marathons where they show several episodes in a row.  This man was obsessed and his marriage crashed and burned for more reasons than his obsession.  To this day, my friend has a deep aversion to anything Star Trek.  In her opinion they should have stayed home and gone to bed early instead of going where no one has gone before.  I understand her aversion and when I plan to go see a Star Trek movie, I do not invite her to go along.  We respect each others difference of opinion.

Having an opinion, different likes and dislikes, is what makes each of us unique.  This is where creativity comes from.  Respecting and appreciating each person’s uniqueness is an art of itself.  You may not like someone else’s opinion and they may not like yours.  Respect each other’s differences.

If you don’t like fruitcake, that’s great.  Don’t eat it.  It means another slice for me and my Grams.