People seem to be confusing opinion with fact much more than they used to. This is affecting both those spouting opinion as fact as well as those unable to differentiate whether what they hear is opinion or fact. It has dire implications since opinion often directly contradicts fact.
According to Merriam-Webster:
Opinion: a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter.
Fact: the quality of being actual.
Notice the difference. Opinions are ideas formed in your mind while facts are about real things that exist. Political discourse today gives us the clearest example of the disasters that come from basing decisions on opinion versus fact. And it also shows how difficult it is to come to agreement when people harbor deep felt opinions that resist all intrusion of fact.
It leads to willful ignorance, as Stephen Schwartz calls this following of opinion over fact. And willful ignorance leads to decisions with poor results. In the political arena such decisions negatively impact whole countries and all their citizens.
In the United States the fact is that along much of our coast we have rising water that will eventually, and in some places very soon, lead to dire consequences for coastal communities. There are two responses currently taking place in North Carolina which has a huge, low lying coastal area already seeing the effects of higher water levels.
State scientists and various science panels are using the factual data on historic and recent weather and water patterns to predict how the water will rise and affect coastal communities…leading to ideas for how to respond. Unfortunately the predictions lead to consequences that many do not want to hear since they negatively affect coastal property. In response political leaders are passing laws based on their opinion that water is not rising. These laws prohibit government agencies from preparing responses based on the facts. They are trying to legislate real things…facts… to conform to opinion.
They don’t want to scare off land developers, and the money they and those who buy the houses bring, from building on what will soon be underwater.
The result? Their opinions are creating more development in areas where it is extremely likely to be destroyed in storms…with all the negative consequences this leads to.
I’ve noticed the same thing occurring in companies. Leaders and leadership teams that have opinions about what they do and how wonderful it is that are so strong they completely ignore facts showing they are wrong, the facts showing the water is rising and their business will be swept away.
Leaders who have built moats around themselves that keep unpleasant facts from getting in. Leaders who have made it clear to their people that their opinions are correct so no one need dispute them with evidence to the contrary.
Leaders who are standing on tiptoe to keep their nose above water but still are sure it’s just a temporary wave passing by.
Happy Hour Indeed
So true that so many varying opinions lead to more stagnation of what should be reality. We all know that any idea with an opinion will have those that disagree – unfortunately based on money not reality of what is being shown and felt.
The fact is, perception is reality to those who perceive it and strongly held opinions influence our perceptions. In these cases reality, per se, has nothing to do with it. One of the most difficult things for people to remove are their blinders. That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it.