Except that they’re not. My opinions are shaped by countless other influences: By my family. By my experiences. By the friends I hung out with in different life stages. By the books I’ve read. By the podcasts I’ve listened to. By the TV shows I’ve watched.
This is not by choice. It’s just the way it is for all of us. None of our opinions are purely our own, no matter how strongly we believe that we are independent thinkers. Our opinions are the products of other people’s influence.
Heck, we now have recognized “influencers” in our culture who’s sole work is to shape other people’s opinions. Which is nothing new, really. It’s just our culture’s way of naming (and monetizing) the way our opinions are formed.
Question: Am I aware of who has influenced, or is influencing, my opinions?
Follow-up question: Am I willing to more carefully curate my influencers?
Even Jesus, when he said, “By myself I can do nothing,” was talking about forming opinions (i.e., judgments). He chose to let his Father’s input be his strongest influence.
