Stand up
"If you stand for nothing, Burr, what will you fall for?" - Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
I first heard this line in a song (Aaron Burr, Sir) about a year and a half ago. It impacted me, certainly, and that is why I can very vividly recall its sound. However, the very inspiring words didn't really reach me until recently.
I was thinking about disagreements. Opposing opinions. Challenges, contradictions, controversy. It's not a surprise, really. Disagreements come about every day in everybody's life. It's practically impossible to never disagree with anybody, ever.
Let's talk about the past, once again. I used to be somebody who was afraid to stand up for anything. Heck, I don't think I even had a solid opinion of my own when I was younger. I prided myself on being the most agreeable and partial little girl anyone ever met. I liked being on neutral ground. Was someone having an argument over there? Oh, better not take anybody's side, lest I make more enemies. Why can't all of us agree and be friends?
Hence for most of my life, I just swayed with the wind, flowed along the current, not really forming any personal takes on most debates. I certainly stood for nothing. Well, perhaps I stood for working hard and doing well academically. But even then, that isn't really an original thought. I was just following the 'right' path in life. I guess, then, I fell for everything. I was (and I guess, still am a little bit now) exceedingly impressionable. If I heard a speech for, say, saving the environment, I would have been a staunch supporter of going green for the next few days only to forget about it quickly. Worse, I am afraid that some values I had were just taken from what seemed right, rather than deliberated and thought about with weight. For example, I used to think being loud and funny was cool. I didn't stop to think that maybe sometimes I was being hurtful. Maybe my comments were too insensitive. I was just following my value of "being funny" to be cool.
Not long ago while reading, I came across this quote: "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it" -Aristotle (Or at least, that's what Google tells me).
I don't think I was strong enough to have been able to think about an opinion without accepting it. I don't think I had enough critical inquiry to be able to ask, "Is this idea really right? Are there any flaws in it?"
I guess this is what "Critical Thinking" really means. Well, thank you university for teaching me this. I had a hard time struggling to grasp the concept of critical thinking, but I think I've got it now. Reminds me of what Charlotte said in Charlotte's web, that "People believe anything they see in print". Well, the mere words "Some pig" written on a spiderweb was able to convince fictional people that the pig was not to be eaten. I think that a great skill to have in life is to be able to think for yourself. Even when something is being said by someone who is very wise, or very old, or even a Nobel prizewinner. (Cue the next quote) Linus Pauling, chemistry Nobel prizewinner said something along the lines of (I can't remember the exact quote!) Listen to your elders, but don't believe them, as new advancements are always being made, and (something along the lines of) things are always changing.
So what has all of this got to do with disagreement? Well, I think it is useful to listen to opinions that don't concur with yours. In fact, I think most learning will only come from listening to opinions that are different from yours. We surround ourselves with people we agree with; we follow them on facebook and read their shared stories that convey the same sentiments, we listen to Youtubers who share our values. Now, I am thinking that more value is in listening to people with different opinions. There is nothing to be afraid of if you truly believe in your opinion. Also, who knows, you might learn something new. You might see something that you've completely overlooked. You gain new perspectives and understanding.
I guess what I really want to say is: If you believe in something, stand up for it. Fight for it, and argue for it. Be somebody with an identity in the world. Choose values that matter to you. Be someone. Don't go with the flow. Think about what you support. Life is too short to not voice your opinions.
And if one day you decide you are wrong, or you've changed opinions over it, then be humble. Change is the only constant in life. It is normal to have different perspectives over the different courses in life. Admit that you once had a different way of thinking. Change is completely normal. There is no growth without change.
So dare to stand for something, and you'll fall for nothing!
I first heard this line in a song (Aaron Burr, Sir) about a year and a half ago. It impacted me, certainly, and that is why I can very vividly recall its sound. However, the very inspiring words didn't really reach me until recently.
I was thinking about disagreements. Opposing opinions. Challenges, contradictions, controversy. It's not a surprise, really. Disagreements come about every day in everybody's life. It's practically impossible to never disagree with anybody, ever.
Let's talk about the past, once again. I used to be somebody who was afraid to stand up for anything. Heck, I don't think I even had a solid opinion of my own when I was younger. I prided myself on being the most agreeable and partial little girl anyone ever met. I liked being on neutral ground. Was someone having an argument over there? Oh, better not take anybody's side, lest I make more enemies. Why can't all of us agree and be friends?
Hence for most of my life, I just swayed with the wind, flowed along the current, not really forming any personal takes on most debates. I certainly stood for nothing. Well, perhaps I stood for working hard and doing well academically. But even then, that isn't really an original thought. I was just following the 'right' path in life. I guess, then, I fell for everything. I was (and I guess, still am a little bit now) exceedingly impressionable. If I heard a speech for, say, saving the environment, I would have been a staunch supporter of going green for the next few days only to forget about it quickly. Worse, I am afraid that some values I had were just taken from what seemed right, rather than deliberated and thought about with weight. For example, I used to think being loud and funny was cool. I didn't stop to think that maybe sometimes I was being hurtful. Maybe my comments were too insensitive. I was just following my value of "being funny" to be cool.
Not long ago while reading, I came across this quote: "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it" -Aristotle (Or at least, that's what Google tells me).
I don't think I was strong enough to have been able to think about an opinion without accepting it. I don't think I had enough critical inquiry to be able to ask, "Is this idea really right? Are there any flaws in it?"
I guess this is what "Critical Thinking" really means. Well, thank you university for teaching me this. I had a hard time struggling to grasp the concept of critical thinking, but I think I've got it now. Reminds me of what Charlotte said in Charlotte's web, that "People believe anything they see in print". Well, the mere words "Some pig" written on a spiderweb was able to convince fictional people that the pig was not to be eaten. I think that a great skill to have in life is to be able to think for yourself. Even when something is being said by someone who is very wise, or very old, or even a Nobel prizewinner. (Cue the next quote) Linus Pauling, chemistry Nobel prizewinner said something along the lines of (I can't remember the exact quote!) Listen to your elders, but don't believe them, as new advancements are always being made, and (something along the lines of) things are always changing.
So what has all of this got to do with disagreement? Well, I think it is useful to listen to opinions that don't concur with yours. In fact, I think most learning will only come from listening to opinions that are different from yours. We surround ourselves with people we agree with; we follow them on facebook and read their shared stories that convey the same sentiments, we listen to Youtubers who share our values. Now, I am thinking that more value is in listening to people with different opinions. There is nothing to be afraid of if you truly believe in your opinion. Also, who knows, you might learn something new. You might see something that you've completely overlooked. You gain new perspectives and understanding.
I guess what I really want to say is: If you believe in something, stand up for it. Fight for it, and argue for it. Be somebody with an identity in the world. Choose values that matter to you. Be someone. Don't go with the flow. Think about what you support. Life is too short to not voice your opinions.
And if one day you decide you are wrong, or you've changed opinions over it, then be humble. Change is the only constant in life. It is normal to have different perspectives over the different courses in life. Admit that you once had a different way of thinking. Change is completely normal. There is no growth without change.
So dare to stand for something, and you'll fall for nothing!
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