Capital Movement Community

It has always been very intriguing to me how individuals define or justify certain situations surrounding them. More specifically, how their lack of commitment or consistency on any given topic or situation is perceived to be a lack of opinion, knowledge or desire. I’ll use an example in politics to express my point.

In politics most politically invested individuals would have you believe that you have to be one of two things; a Republican or a Democrat. If you are not one of those two things you are not easily defined; therefore, you are not committing to one political party and your opinion does not matter or at the very least perceived as less valuable. These political parties would have you believe being independent or moderate, for example, is a lack of understanding the issues or lack of desire to stand up for what you believe in. I would argue the opposite. Being independent means you look at each issue independently and formulate an opinion based on the information you are given. I would also argue that if you so adamantly refuse to look at an issue independently, and rather you look at it from a preconceived notion, you are ultimately fogging your own logical judgment. The easy way out would be to not educate yourself on certain issues and stick specifically to party lines. This kind of thinking provides you with an easier answer whether it is; “I’m a Republican, therefore this is my opinion” or “I’m a Democrat therefore, this is my opinion.” To me that individual’s conviction or commitment is fogging their opinion or judgment. This does not mean you should not have conviction or commitment for your opinions but what it does mean is that you should not use your commitments as a reason to justify your opinion.

Another example of this happening in politics is when one politician looks back at another politician’s history and tries to prove how they are inconsistent in their views on a given topic. I would argue if your opinion has not adapted over a given time frame you have not grown with the changing world around you. Things change, society changes, and therefore, you have to constantly take a fresh look from time to time. If you had all the same opinions you had as a high school graduate your commitment to those opinions would be strong; but, in many cases they would be uneducated. (Now if a politician is changing their opinion strictly for political gain that is a different discussion). Why is it so taboo for someone to say, “The information I had 10 years ago brought me to one conclusion and now that I have new information my opinion has changed and I have drawn a different conclusion?” This idea of not staying committed to the same principles that you may have had previously should not be seen as a weakness. It should be seen as someone who is thinking independently to come to the best conclusion possible with all the information given at that time.

Why are people afraid of the potential for a good thing? Why are individuals afraid of taking a chance? Is it because they believe they will ultimately fail and therefore cannot take the rejection? Do they not realize a good thing when it is standing right in front of them? Too many times I hear individuals talk about what they want and how they want to get it, but when they have a chance to make it happen they develop excuses and walk away. It is almost as if deep down they never really wanted what they were saying in the first place.

Excuses are constantly made as to why a given opportunity will not work. Instant expectations are put in place, unnecessarily. Usually, those expectations are not their own, but they are expectations from some third party. Unfortunately, most people put more weight in someone else’s opinion of an opportunity than they put in their own intuition. Someone else can never truly understand the specific opportunity that is directly in front of them. Every opportunity in life is different because it is shaped by specific experiences a given individual has had throughout their lifetime. Therefore, the success or failure of an opportunity cannot be judged by someone else. It can only be judged by the individual whom is taking the chance.

I find that it is easier for people to create excuses not to do something, as opposed to enjoying the moment that is right in front of them. Why not take a chance? Are individuals paralyzed by expectations? Do they put too much pressure on themselves? Do they worry about what society will think if the expectations are not achieved? What do they have to lose? Who cares if things do not go according to plan? It is there choice; they do not have to justify it to anyone but themselves. Maybe it is the differences in how individuals interrupt situations or, maybe it is because of past experiences that make people jaded towards the potential of a good thing. Given all of those excuses and experiences, who says they have to shape someone’s future choices. Why be a prisoner of the past? Why allow that to overcome the potential for a good thing? I believe it is better to say “awe shucks” then to say “I wish I would have!”