Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: How to be less opinionated?

news.ycombinator.com

1–10 of 118 posts

Re: Ask HN: How to be less opinionated?

#3
Ironic question for this forum.

Don’t be less opinionated. Lowering your standards is like poisoning your own well.

The question should be “how to avoid sounding like an ass?” Opinions aren’t the problem, lack of awareness and sensitivity towards others maybe.

There are correct contexts and methods for everything, learning to recognize and adapt to these are imperative for social survival.

Having opinions however is a sign of a restless mind. An arrow of longing so to speak. What is crude and obnoxious while young may flourish into insightful passionate interests given time and reflection.

Re: Ask HN: How to be less opinionated?

#4
Listen before speaking. Be willing to let another person change your opinion.

If you're only here to enforce your opinion, then don't talk about the topic. This is why religion and politics are usually not welcome in most parts.

There was an opinionated conversation on anarchy philosophy a few weeks ago on front page HN. Most of the comments came from people who obviously did not open the link at all. Some from people who copied snippets out of context to attack.

This happens because they were not planning to have a conversation. They were not open to the idea that anarchy could be superior to democracy. It's fine to hold firm opinions, but pointless going into discussions with them.

Re: Ask HN: How to be less opinionated?

#5

Ironic question for this forum. Don’t be less opinionated. Lowering your standards is like poisoning your own well. The question should be “how to avoid sounding like an ass?” Opinions aren’t the problem, lack of awareness and sensitivity towards others maybe. There are correct contexts and methods for everything, learning to recognize and adapt to these are imperative for social survival. Having opinions however is…

I think it is a fair question. The older I get I see the less opinionated I get. The opinions get replaced with curiosity as I become old. The reason I am getting less opinionated is that as years go by I come across contradictions to strong opinions I held before which weakens the fervor with which I held those opinions. So I don't think that being less opinionated is lowering my standards. I think richness of life experiences can make someone less opinionated.

Re: Ask HN: How to be less opinionated?

#6
post #5

Ironic question for this forum. Don’t be less opinionated. Lowering your standards is like poisoning your own well. The question should be “how to avoid sounding like an ass?” Opinions aren’t the problem, lack of awareness and sensitivity towards others maybe. There are correct contexts and methods for everything, learning to recognize and adapt to these are imperative for social survival. Having opinions however is…

I think it is a fair question. The older I get I see the less opinionated I get. The opinions get replaced with curiosity as I become old. The reason I am getting less opinionated is that as years go by I come across contradictions to strong opinions I held before which weakens the fervor with which I held those opinions. So I don't think that being less opinionated is lowering my standards. I think richness of life…

Do you eat less healthy food? Or hang out with more dangerous friends? Or spend time doing more wasteful activities?

Or do you have an inward peace which makes going on about such things impractical and irrelevant?

I hear what you’re saying, and I agree that restlessly over sharing is counter productive, though I also notice that society tries to suppress the standards of others in some attempt for bland conformity.

Your answer regarding richness in life, as well as self reflection are merely your standards coming to fruition.

Re: Ask HN: How to be less opinionated?

#9
the more empathy you can learn to have, the more likely you'll listen and understand where people are coming from. if you find yourself leaning too much to one side of things whether it's politics or something else, then you might be in an echochamber and aren't hearing what the other side is really saying.
Post reply on HN