Opinions that Help & Opinions that Hurt
Patricia Almanza, staff writer

I sat in front of my computer the night before this article was supposed to be turned in, and I racked my brain for something to write.

I sat there staring at the screen for 10 minutes (well, maybe it was just five minutes) waiting for some kind of thought to pop into my head. It seemed like I would never think of something to write. I sat there thinking, “What do I have an opinion about?”

I mean everyone has an opinion about something, right? So why couldn’t I think of something? Nothing was coming to my mind, until all of a sudden I realized I could write an opinion about how people and their opinions can affect someone.

Lately, I have been dealing with many issues and decisions in my life. So I get a part-time job? Should I switch my major, or stick with the one I have chosen? Do I use the money from my job to pay for an apartment or a dorm? Should I study for this class or that class? While some of these things don’t require much thought, some of them require that I take some time and think about what the consequences may be if I make the wrong decision.

In these types of situations, I usually turn to my friends or family for advice. Even though I might usually feel that I can make a good decision on my own, I usually take their opinions on the matter and compare it to what I feel is the right thing. While my opinion and their opinions may not always coincide, this allows me to get another perspective on the matter, so that I will not be completely close-minded about it.

Some of you may think, “Why should I get someone else’s opinion on something that will be affecting me? It’s my life, so I know what’s best.” To those of you who have followed this philosophy and never made a mistake, I say congratulations. To those of you who know what it’s like to find yourself in trouble, small or otherwise, because you thought you could handle things on your own, I say welcome to the club.

There are times when we may find ourselves dealing with things when the people who care about us will give us their opinions on a matter whether we want to hear it or not. Sometimes we may feel that they should just mind their own business or keep their opinions to themselves. But most of the time, they end up being right.

In my life, I have found that the only time I have ever really gotten upset at someone for giving me his or her opinion was when I knew it was an opinion that would make me face the truth and reality of a situation. While this may not be the case for everyone, I have found that this is also true for most other people.

While a helpful opinion may keep someone from getting into trouble, an opinion can also be used to cause trouble. Unfortunately, I’ve seen people give their opinions on a matter, and it ended in something destructive. An example that comes to my mind would be rumors that are spread about someone’s reputation. There are times when you may have seen a young woman’s reputation destroyed because someone didn’t like either her or something that she did. All it takes is one person’s bad opinion on something being shared by others to create this situation.

While I may have begun writing this article on a whim, I now see just how much of a difference someone’s opinion can really make in a life. It can either be used to help someone or to hurt someone. How will you use yours?