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Everything we hear is an opinion: I love this quote because it makes me pause for a moment to think. Facts have a compelling way of influencing us and strengthening or weakening our opinions. However, are all facts reliable? Is there a possibility that some opinions are misrepresented as facts? This has more context in a similar quote that says – until the lion learns to write, each story will glorify the hunter.

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth!

Marcus Aurelius

Most things that are recorded in history are done by a person, right? It is very hard to ignore personal opinions when it comes to recording these facts. It can occur in the form of bias, negligence or ignoring some other facts in favour of something else. All I’m trying to say is that not everything is plain black and white. There is an element of bias, opinion in these facts.

Meaning of Everything we hear is an opinion

Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor, a philosopher who was last referred to as the “Five good emperors”. His greatest contribution is towards his true passion – stoicism which is dedicated to restraint of emotions and listening to the voice of reason.

In this segment, we will discuss the meaning of this quote. I’ll classify the themes of meaning emerging from this quote into 3 areas:

• Role of interpretation and judgement
• Importance of vetting facts from multiple sources
• Identifying our own biases before we judge

Everything we see is a perspective: Interpretation and judgement

Most information we receive has been recorded by an individual. When there’s an individual, it is also likely that they have a bias based on their own upbringing, knowledge and experiences. The number of things that can be classified as hard facts can be limited if you factor in the perspective that everything we hear is an opinion.

Maybe there’s a different side to the story as well. Perhaps, we should hear this other side before making a judgement.

Vetting facts or opinions from multiple sources

It is so easy to get sucked into the trap of echo chambers and think that everyone thinks the same. While interpreting this quote everything we hear is an opinion, I’d encourage us to consider an opposite view from ours. It not only helps us quiz ourselves but also be more open to someone who doesn’t agree.

Unfortunately, social media only shows us things that we tend to agree with more. Perhaps, there is value in finding an alternate view point to be able to learn something and enhance our thought process.

Identifying our own bias

This is the most tricky part. Even our interpretation is an opinion and is based on some other opinions. There won’t be a stage where we are perfectly objective. It also means that it is ok for people to disagree with us. Isn’t it relaxing to know that an opposing view doesn’t mean an attack?

Instead, it might mean an opportunity for us to reconsider and review what we’re thinking. Ultimately critical thinking is at the crux of this quote – everything we hear is an opinion.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Aurelius