From ignorance to arrogance

I WAS happy to read an article recently about why we are increasingly unaware of our ignorance and why it is a big problem. It caught my attention because that is also my observation. In fact, in many of my columns, I have expressed that fear at least implicitly.

The main argument of the article is that we in our time are becoming so sure of our opinions that they now become our convictions and our core beliefs, as if other opinions are completely regarded as wrong.

In other words, opinions now are considered to be absolute such that there cannot anymore be a variety of legitimate and differing and even conflicting opinions. A person’s opinions are now held as gospel truths.

The article went on to say that opinions considered as gospel truths can obviously attract like-minded people, and when they acquire a critical mass, that is when these opinions become the absolute truths for them. That is when ignorance of the absolute truth who is God becomes invincible and can easily fall into arrogance.

We have to be most careful about our opinions. We have to learn to distinguish between what merely is an opinion that can never cover everything about a particular issue and much less about the whole reality, and what is a matter of absolute truth that can come only from God through our faith, as revealed in full by Christ, and that touches on what is truly essential in our life.

Especially these days when we are bombarded with an increasing number of issues to tackle, a profusion of data and information, and a growing number of means of communication and exchanges of ideas, we need to have a good hold of our horses so as to avoid mixing opinions with absolute and essential truths.

We have to practice a certain detachment from our opinions, no matter how strongly we feel about them, so that we can give due attention to other opinions, especially those that are not only different from ours but are also opposed to ours.

In our exchanges and discussions, let us always try to be civil and courteous. Opinions are no absolute truths. They don’t deserve to be promoted and defended at the expense of charity.

The usual problem we encounter is that we tend to make our opinions the only position that is right. This is outright wrong. We would be falling into what St. Paul once said of those who are “ever learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (2 Tim 3,7) We can feel that we have the truth because of the amount of data and information we have, but we still would miss the point.

We have to be wary of what looks like a common world trend now to assert our opinions to death. And this is not only in the field of politics, but more so in the area of faith and morals. We need to be protected from the subtle and silent osmotic effect that this trend can come to us.

We have to know, for example, how not to be quickly taken by the easy accessibility and speed of the Internet in giving us data and information and in sharing our views and opinions.

In this regard, we have to strengthen our virtues of prudence and tact. But, alas, how many are really thinking about these virtues today? In fact, in many talk shows especially in the US, bashing and mudslinging have become a standard practice. Disagreements are not anymore civil.

In homes and schools, let us teach the young ones the true art of opinion-making and of civil and charitable discussions. We need to teach the kids how to distinguish between mere opinion and absolute truth, and where we can have the former and where to find the latter.