Sagot :
Explanation:
Opinion - a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge. Examples - i) "I think the Warriors will get beat by the Lakers tonight.", ii) "I think it's going to rain this afternoon.", iii) "I think solely distance learning for students is a bad idea."
2) Belief - an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists. Examples - i) "I believe that professional sports are an important part of American culture." ii) "I believe that it's difficult to predict the weather." iii) "I believe that our educational system needs reform, and we must find ways to make college more affordable."
3) Conviction - a firmly held and stable, long-term belief. Examples - i) "I'm convicted that extracurricular activities, properly framed, can be a great teacher for young people.", ii) "I'm convicted that we are called to steward the environment and care for creation.", iii) "I'm convicted that men and women all over the world are entitled to receive an education, and that it is critical for peace, prosperity, and progress."
Opinions are transient, formed regularly, and evolve quickly as data emerges. Beliefs have more staying power, but can shift as data and lived experiences occur. Convictions are powerful life-long truths that we should be prepared to debate vigorously while defending them. Collectively, they create a lens through which other information passes through. In my view, we should have a multitude of opinions, plenty of beliefs, and a handful of convictions. Most of my convictions tie back into my Christian faith, which is inextricably linked to an understanding of what it means to “love God”, and "love my neighbor".
Positional Intensity - To avoid burying the lead, I believe that most of us are looping FAR too many issues into the “belief” and “conviction” buckets, as opposed to the “opinion” and "belief" buckets. We are confusing our opinions for beliefs, and our beliefs for convictions. Our dialogue on COVID-19 is the latest example of an issue where we should all have opinions and some beliefs, and yet we speak and argue as though we have convictions on any number of related issues - mortality rates, masks, quarantines, re-opening protocol, Chinese labs, Fauci’s latest comments, Trump’s twitter feed, etc. As I’m writing this, the conversation around race is escalating in our nation and around the world. What we do about the problems that persist will be another flashpoint in our discourse.
Escalation of Rhetoric - The debate about whether culture is upstream from media, or that media is shaping culture, is for another time. However, the circular linkage between the two is undeniable. Our elected officials are a reflection of this breakdown, and their current behavior isn’t helping us move towards a functional national dialogue. We could once rely on public figures to bring us back to a more balanced and healthy discussion, but those days are long gone on both sides of the political aisle. Likewise, what we read on social media and see in the mainstream media gets reflected in our own posture and communication. Our consumption of this content drives the media towards ‘upping the ante’ on headline value. It’s analogous to a drug addict needing to steadily increase the dosage to experience the same high. It’s not a helpful environment for us to hear one another and chart a course forward.
The ‘Why’ of Escalation - Lest we think other areas of society are less impacted by this polarity, reference Jim Rome, Max Kellerman, and Stephen A. Smith. While they didn’t invent it, they certainly perfected the ‘hot take’ on sports news. This refers to an emotion-filled perspective shared in full candor on a current issue. Previously these 'hot takes' might have been referred to as ‘angry rants’, but we’ve now coined a less derogatory term for the same thing. Why does the media serve this content up? Because it garners views. Why do we view this content? Because we seek out individuals who agree with us, and who say out loud what we might only be thinking. We also seek out individuals with whom we disagree, though usually the aim of that effort is to brutally deconstruct their position amongst friends. This phenomenon breeds polarity, and creates a monetization stream for media companies struggling with failed or changing business models. Sensationalism sells, and media is in desperate need of sales. And so, here we