Opinions

I've been reading Scott Adams blog for some time now (err, sorry for googlealerting you again. By the way, I receive an alert 3 times a week now, for my nick. I swear google made this on purpose), and he talks much about "free will", and more generally, what causes our actions and such.
We have the same theory, as each individual is 100% made by his past and I'd even add, with infinite computing capabilities, we could predict all his future actions. Therefore, no free will. But on this subject I will speak another time.

As the title says, I want to talk about opinions. What make you for or against abortion, or Bush, or video games? What make you stick to a particular religion? Answer : a very little from the shape of your brain, and very very much from your background. For exemple, I've never seen an Indouist turning Christian before he ever heard of other religions. How strange is that, when so many people said God talked to tham and converted them??? But on religion I will speak another time.

As I said, background. Someone living in Texas as a farmer has 99.9% more chances to be pro-guns-for-everyone than someone from Japan. Clearly this is not an opinion neither or the two got wholy by himself, after thinking about it a long time.
You will answer : "well of course, people are easily influenced!" My point is we're all 100% fucking influenced! Even if you try not too, it's impossible to look at a situation without all the bad data and prejudice distilled into you.

Here is a situation. A thief gets in your house and you're in the same room as him. What do you think is better? A friend of mine said, grab your rifle, and shoot near him to scare him to death. Or shoot him. Whatever.
I answer, I would never have a rifle home. Even in this situation I would never want one! I'd rather yell very hard, grab an ashtray and attack him (I would never have an ashtray either), or use my jedi powers, and being beaten a hard time. In any case, I would never add a lethal weapon to any confrontation.
What is your opinion? In fact, don't anwser that. I judged that my and his opinion where the same as ... our parents'.
Now for some out-of-my-hat statistics. 93% of people who know someone who were killed by mistake in such a situation with a gun are on my side. 84% of people who know someone who were killed by a thief are on my friend's side. 100% of the thieves are on my side ;) I'm sure you believe in these invented statistics and agree if these people had the opposite experience, they'd be in the opposite stat bar.
Not many people can say, ok, keeping a loaded gun in the drawer is responsible for the death of my whole family but I still think it's a good think to keep a loaded gun in the drawer.
Just as of course, a drunk driver killed my wife and son, but I drive while drunk... to forget the pain (damn, that may happen). Do people who drive uncarefully ever had a very big accident ? Nope.

This is for big events giving you an opinion. Now small events, well, it's called cultural boundings. Most of people think the same as their familly and area. And young who want to be a rebel just think the same as someone on TV.

My conclusion, is by knowing the fact you didn't choose by yourself to have an opinion, by knowing it was given to you, you should also understand that in many situations it can be simply a very bad opinion.

So, tolerate (I don't even say consider) other people opinions. This doesn't mean you can't give you view and try to tell them they're wrong, just... don't try too hard, sometimes.