opinions and identity
opinion: a judgment or viewpoint that is not conclusive, unlike facts, which are true statements.
It is understandable why the phrase ‘everyone’s entitled to their own opinion’ is accepted without question. We take if for granted that there are a diversity of views, invariably opposing, and that is just the way things are. But having an opinion is a statement of limitation, one that exposes a lack of information or perspective.
We all know something, but none of us knows everything, and so argument is little more than bickering – one opinion pitted against another, with both sides convinced they’re right. This immaturity drives much of human interaction and is especially evident on the political stage, where argument is the focus of the engagement, and consensus is taboo. If politicians strived for consensus, they would agree themselves out of a job.
Yet reaching an informed consensus is essential for identifying the best course of action to take. This requires a full examination of available information, and, significantly, an agreed objective against which all differing views can be assessed, without which, the debate becomes futile. We need clarity on what we’re working towards – and there is only one answer that is both practical and ethically sound: ensuring the well-being of all people, restoring the natural world and its ecosystems, and securing a positive future for all life on the planet, indefinitely.
Without this planet and its biodiversity, humanity will not survive. Since the year 2000 – in less 25 years – we have destroyed 75% of the remaining wildlife on this planet, a clear demonstration that argument is nothing but another example of our preoccupation with competition, and is unrelated to the real issues we ought to be discussing; why have we got a system of governance where those who pose as leaders, encourage the destruction of the very idea that they’re supposed to protect – life?
We accept identity as an important expression of our individuality and our sense of belonging, seemingly without question. But what exactly is identity, and why do we afford it such significance?
Identity refers to any grouping, belief, or value (or opinion), that we identify with; one that we either feel we belong to, or represent. These groups might be religious, cultural, political, or related to social positioning, language, nationality, sexuality, family, physicality, jobs, hobbies and interests, etc.
And yet while celebrating that identity, we are troubled by the prevalence of racism, persecution, subjugation, intimidation, and intolerance within our societies. The irony is, all that bigotry that we find so offensive is the manifestation of our desire for having an identity, because the moment we identify with a particular group or belief, we unavoidably create divisions within society – divisions which are the root of those social tensions.
The belief that we are each an independent self – ‘I think therefore I am’ – is also taken as a given, and rarely questioned, because it seems so obvious that there is something that we can call our ‘self’. Yet when we try to pinpoint who that self actually is, we have to refer to our identity, and all the paraphernalia that is associated with it, to give it substance. Without these external references, the ‘self’ does not exist. (See the article in Part 2, the i-con, for an explanation why the self is a myth.) And since society puts such emphasis and value on the idea of the self, our identity becomes very precious to us, and it’s why we are unwilling to modify, let alone change, our identity. If we did, the person we identify with, would cease to be. That’s also why there’s such a huge investment by different forces – social, religious, political, and commercial – who compete for us to identify with their particular group, belief, or brand, because once they’ve got us, they’ve got us for life.
Our identity, by its very definition, is inflexible, and so, as humans, we have relinquished our exceptional ability to adapt, at a time when it is absolutely essential to do so. Instead, we now just fight amongst ourselves, preserving whatever our identity happens to be, rather than adapting and responding appropriately to the very crisis that all those arbitrary identities have contributed to. Liberty is the freedom to respond and change; the right to reject the beliefs and values that have been imposed upon us, because it’s those very convictions which are denying humanity a future.
Holding onto our past is denying us a future.
Oct 2022