Following Opinions, Not Facts!

You could [find] no worse way to guide your life than to follow the opinions of others.

Count Leo Tolstoy Cited in his Calendar of Wisdom

I wonder what Tolstoy would think about our 7/24 media world? I think he would shudder at the low level of talk, the superficial dialogue, and the adamant expression of opinions that many in our mass media fervently hold! 

While I realize that my critique of media and culture is an ongoing theme, what I would like to add today is not so much a look at how dismayed Tolstoy would certainly be, but how best we can begin to separate out the opinions from the facts.

As I am unsure of the source, I will respectfully say anonymous, but I do recall reading an article on psychology and intelligence, or maybe it was on epistemology (?) on how we come to know something as being true….  

As I recall, the article spoke to me in a meaningful way, when it listed the levels of what kinds of information we can receive. The lowest level being mere opinions, without any appeal to fact or any necessary connection to what has been proven, or what has been considered by most people as being true. 

The next level of information up from opinion is knowledge. That would consist of information that has been tested, verified, and more scrupulously evaluated as being reliable, valid, or true. 

I would put scientific research in this category, and being a critic of popular religion and somewhat vacuous spirituality, I would put professionally astute and objective Biblical examinations or exegesis as reliable and trustworthy.

Lastly, the information at the highest level, the one we humans need most, is wisdom. Wisdom has always been highly regarded as being inspirational, insightful, and sometimes, when it comes to koans, riddles, poetry, and proverbs etc., shockingly true! 

Wisdom is a quality of deeper understanding that moves us beyond our capacity to analyze, think, or apply logic for our conclusions. Wisdom is also affectual; it touches the heart, moves the spirit, surprises the mind-all in ways that open new avenues of understanding, and new ways to comprehend on a deeper level than just thinking about something can provide.

Wisdom has the capacity to inspire, to alter our awareness, and to provide us with the “missing pieces” that can make our understanding of ourselves and our world more whole, complete and more graciously true!