Daily Wisdom Words it is a writer's community
“Life is never white and black and all or nothing; it is full of greys and the rainbows and all the other in-betweens.”
-McKel (Hill) Kooienga
As I type this, it’s been a few
hours since President Joe Biden was officially sworn in.
At the stage our country (and quite frankly, the world as well) is in, there have been polarizing views everywhere. It seems as if everyone has lost the ability to envision a middle ground.
EACH OF US HAVE DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS AND OPINIONS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS. SOMETIMES, THE MORE WE ARE ABLE TO HEAR ANOTHER’S POINT OF VIEW, THE MORE WE ARE ABLE TO REMAIN OPEN-MINDED AND OBJECTIVE. WE may find we even learn something new if we are open to another’s viewpoint. Viewpoints after all. are perspectives in many dimensions like colors in a kaleidoscope. There are many different colors to see angles or viewpoints from. When communicating with others, the dynamics of various points of view and being able to see both sides is a necessity when communicating with others.
Viewpoints are perspectives how we perceive things. ecause we see something the way we do, does not make it so. Having an open mind is key when evaluating differences viewpoints present to many of us. It is often said, wisdom is in the ability to take those opinions and process them as objectively as possible. As we all have heard, “don’t discuss politics or religion.” We find some of the strongest viewpoints come into play when talking about our viewpoints and what we believe. We enter new territory with strong subject matter such as politics or religion where most people feel emotions with what their viewpoints are. This is different for example than another’s viewpoint about how best to fix a particular recipe.
It is easy to stay open minded when discussing subjects that evoke less emotion than strong opinions on a particular viewpoint involving our faith or religious convictions. These are subjects we all feel strongly about. One area sure to provoke insight from both sides of the aisle happens when one person believes with faith there is a God and others do not. Others who are agnostic or atheist cannot understand the opposite side of a coin in belief which is having a strong faith and conviction there is a God verses the thought that there isn’t. The further apart an opinion or viewpoint is, the more difficult it becomes to see another’s thought process.
Let us take a look at the definition of “viewpoints” both in our Webster Dictionary and our daily wisdom word meaning.
Webster Definition of viewpoint-1. a position or perspective from which something is considered or evaluated; Point of View, Standpoint.
Daily Wisdom Word Definition of viewpoints-1. a thought or belief system felt in each of us which may result in strong convictions based on our emotional investment in this viewpoint.
People such as judges, cannot afford to bring personal viewpoints into a courtroom. Imagine how difficult it must be to be a judge listening to opposing opinions which they may have a preconception about. Judges must stay objective, and if we wish to learn from others how they think, we should at the very least do our best to listen with an open mind. Stay away from discussions involving others where you know in advance the subject itself can cause us to “disagree”. To listen to another person who has a different point of view, objectively with an open mind requires us to put our own thoughts that conflict with their opinion even if only to allow them to share their point of view. Thanks so much for reading about viewpoints today. As always, I would love to hear your opinion or viewpoint on what you’ve just read. Beneath this article is a place to “join the discussion”. I would love any contributions you may have about one’s viewpoint or perhaps angles of productivity when listening to others opinions.
Thanks so much, Samantha LeBoeuf-Dailywisdomwords.com
We are going to use the Daily Wisdom Word, “assumptions” today to analyze. My first thought about assumptions is they are dangerous. Assumptions lead to conclusions. For example, it is easy to make assumptions about others. I have falsely “assumed” many things that were not accurate about another person myself. In fact, assumptions lead us to opinions. When we make an assessment or assumption about another based on our opinion alone. This can lead to missed opportunities not only with things but with estimations we assume about ourselves and our own abilities. Before going any further, we will take a look at the actual definition of assumptions from the Webster Dictionary and the Daily Wisdom Words Definition.
Webster Definition of assumptions-1. A thing that is accepted as certain to happen, without proof. 2. The action of taking or beginning to take power or responsibility.
Daily Wisdom Word Definition of Assumptions-1. Making an assessment that could be true or false about a situation, or person.
Assumptions regarding others can be reflected around mutual family or friends by your actions. Assumptions lead to opinions. Opinions lead to conclusions. Conclusions about who a person may be decide how we treat them, good or bad. I have had this happen in the following example.
I became close friends rather quickly with someone who was charismatic and although bossy, I lover looked in. In a period of less than a year, she had cost me a true friend, money, much of my time with her issues, and on top of it, I was going through my little sister’s oral cancer having my own issues. She would get on the phone, and not even ask about her but dive into her issues. I would not hear from her for months at a time, and then, if she had issues, the phone would ring or I would get a text. I spent four hours on the phone with Apple getting her a brand new phone to replace her existing one which only worked on speaker and she openly discussed her issues in front of her daughter. This happened to involve her daughter’s father painting him in a negative light. I felt bad for her daughter and spent the time to get her phone replaced. She lived out of state and it was waiting for her at a mall ten minutes from her home. She had a month to pick it up. She NEVER even picked up the phone. I mentioned to her that I saw on FB that she seemed to have the time to call her other “close friends” often. This led her to accuse me of reading her open posts stalking her!!! I was supposed to be her best friend. She even had the audacity to tell me she would be blocking me and told me she had already begun trashing me on Instagram. I put a quick stop to that reminding her of how much I knew about the truth in who she had shown herself to be. I made assumptions quickly about her. This lead to an opinion of her and skewed my judgment. The following are some tips on how to avoid assumptions.
1. Avoid making judgments about others, especially when meeting them. Keep an open mind, but do not make any assumptions without evidence, proof or good reason.
2. Assumptions is a long version of the word, ASSUME. when we assume, we jump to conclusions. Conclusions from assumptions can lead to false opinions.
3. Never “assume” when hearing an opinion from someone else, it is always true, even when you know the person sharing this opinion with you. Their opinion can be based on a false perspective.
Thanks so much for reading about assumptions today. Remember the story I shared with you above. Assumptions lead to opinions/conclusions. Avoid both without evidence or proof. Have a beautiful, blessed day. Samantha Leboeuf/DWW
OTHER DAILY WISDOM WORDS YOU MAY ENJOY: http://dailywisdomwords.com/habits/
OTHER ARTICLES OF INTEREST: http://marciasirotamd.com/psychology-popular-culture/problem-making-assumptions
“If you have no critics you’ll likely have no success.”
-Malcolm X
What or who are critics? People who assess your work and critique it is usually the more common conception. And while that may be true, we often forget one basic definition: criticism is just an opinion.
