Hey there! I'm Mayon, and this is my very first blog. I'm quite excited to have my opinions heard, and I hope you have a fun time surfing through my words too!
A really (really) short introduction— I'm 17 years old and I have been preparing for my medical entrance exam (NEET) for the past two years. This phase has taught me a lot but at the same time, I feel like I've missed out on a lot of life.
It’s only recently that I've been captivated by how realistic—and sometimes gross—interactions are on a platform like Reddit. Unlike Instagram and Facebook, where most posts and connections feel superficial (at least to me), I was intrigued by how real the voices on Reddit can be.
What could be better than hearing thoughts that people have actually put effort into articulating? For the past me, blogging was nothing more than writing articles. But now that I think of it— A platform where it's just me and my thoughts? Delicious!
Although I'm going to write about a lot of topics that I find interesting, I want to start with a fascinating subject that I have been pondering for quite a while— How do we, as humans, form an opinion?
It's a rabbit hole that has pushed me to think about many other questions:
What role does our environment play in developing those opinions?
How do we get biased?
If prejudice exists, how do we navigate towards the right decisions?
I don't have a proper answer right now, but here is how I got my train of thought running—
It's common knowledge that Reddit is a platform filled with diverse opinions. If you are someone who likes to listen to others before delivering your own view, your mind can get really cluttered! The moment you decide, "Oh, this guy is valid," another thoughtful reply criticising that exact point is enough to provoke a conflict within yourself. It makes you think: "Where do I stand in this?"
One such incident happened when I saw a Reddit post on r/twenties discussing preferences in romantic relationships. Almost all the comments felt generic—some agreed, some disagreed.
I scrolled and scrolled until I found a comment that was long but entirely worth reading. I was amazed at the clarity of thought. While most opinions felt unfinished and clumsy, this one felt mature and insightful. Instead of rushing toward an instinctive conclusion, it pointed out the root causes of the issue.
It made me question: What is arguing really about? Is it just about having an opinion you feel is right? Or is it about articulating it well?
The specific topic of that post didn't matter. What amazed me was the thought process behind it. I am no judge to label his conclusion to be correct or incorrect, but the way he made his opinion stand out and reachable to people was awesome to me!
Being the 'sometimes impatient' person I am, I DMed him without a second thought. I appreciated his comment, and asked him for advice on how to think like that.
Although I was clueless about what his answer would be, it was the last thing I expected— reading books. Not just any books, but those that trace human evolution and link it to how we behave today.
I was awestruck. How did I never think of this? Why was I expecting myself to just mature with time while doing nothing active to grow?
His recommendations were:
I gladly took his recommendations. And now, I have the opportunity to read and discuss them right here on my blog!
🙌🏻 AAP Mahan ho
ReplyDeleteTry Alchemist/ atomic habits
ReplyDelete😏😏
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ReplyDeleteGuys, I would like it if you carefully read the blog and present your opinion here. Please don't keep it short, and keep it focused on the topic being discussed. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHonestly applaud ur thoughts (and the redditer's) on lack of tolerance towards imperfections and our hurry to force labels onto others. We prioritize first impressions and scrutinize imperfections too much. So many times in life I've had to eat my own words simply coz I judged ppl too quickly and tried to distance myself early - only to later find out they r the sweetest ppl ever. I often wonder if i give second chances easily without making them earn it...everyone around me keeps warning me to be "harsher" but I don't know how many cherished experiences I would've had to sacrifice had i been harsher.
ReplyDeleteAbout online discussion forums, it's funny how many times I find myself reading a comment section only to agree with multiple ppl providing warring opinions. Idk if im just too easy to sway, or maybe too gullible to have opinions of my own :) I just end up thinking too much about topics that shouldn't really matter anyway. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how much we try to "toughen" ourselves up, we end up doing what the heart wants in the spur of the moment. Sigh. Humans.
Sorry for the absurdly long comment. Obviously I have nothing much to do post neet and it seems like I've forgotten how to commit myself to reading long books. As if my reply wasnt long enuf already, I'd like to add that books really are the best way to put yourself in other's shoes and take a look into their minds. Teaches not only life lessons but also a good amt of empathy and kindness....and, well, relatability. Thanks for the recs, idk if its my place to say this, but I'd recommend checking out "epics" of modern literature across all genres, they provide beautiful multi character viewpoints on really difficult topics.
Thank you for taking the trouble of posting ur thoughts! Looking forward to more
oops, forgot to add the actual recommendation and this anon thing doesn't let me edit -_- the recced books r actually very good and I personally wld love to hear more from others about it. Plus, ik high fantasy isn't upto everyone's alley but check out stormlight archive by brandon sanderson if the plot interests u. Its a hefty book, but a really well written deep one which covers almost all aspects of humanity
DeleteI read your blog and the topic you raised is just mind boggling, l think no one (except some exceptions like you) will ever bother to meditate on it but this only makes you unique...
ReplyDeleteIf l truly say l have never completed a book nor am l a highly introspective person like you but if l had to give an opinion l would say the major factor influencing a person's opinion is the surrounding environment. One thing l felt that it is easy to match your opinion with the general 'most popular thought' rather than analysing it yourself and generating your pov. If you are discussing on a topic and told to share your pov it's very natural that maybe your own pov will be different if you made it after listening to different views of 10 diff person, or made without hearing anybody just by introspecting yourself. Maybe after listening you can have better or worse results which totally depend on your surronding and how you are analysing others view while making your own..
I just shared what your blog made me to generate my opinion and it really felt good, although my thought processing is not so advanced like of you 😅 but you wrote it very well.
Waiting for your next blog
See? It's not rocket science. You already have it in you, and you're doing great.
DeleteComing to what you said, I agree.. opinions are always dynamic and it stems from the fact that our knowledge is not absolute. We keep learning more and more as we listen to others, unlock their perspectives, see things from their eyes and take that into consideration. Even the words you speak help others moulding their opinions.
And yes, very often we encounter discussions shaped solely on observation, lacking originality. We usually end up agreeing with the mass because that's easier than changing each and every person's opinion in the room.
Nice blog bro, really liked it even I aspire to write a few blogs in the new future , was never a much reader but it really seems cool and sporty.
ReplyDeleteGo for it. I have not really read many books beside the academic ones, either. There are always some thoughts wandering around in your mind. Just try to sit in a quiet place, and your fingers and the keyboard will do the work
DeleteWe are in a age where nonchalance is taken with pride. It's not easy to understand how people either tag someone as a red flag or a green flag. They often pick up a few traits, compare them to a fictional character, follow the internet's standards of a good partner. Forgetting the most important thing-"Humans are far more nuanced than the labels we give them."
ReplyDeleteAnd yes I am writing this with a bit of hypocrisy because sometimes I am a cynic. Often expecting the worst, folding everything into neat categories, maybe because it's easy. But easy has never been equal to truth. Individuals are rarely as simple as our first impressions.
So before we decide what colour someone is, perhaps we should remember that even colours have shades. And maybe people do too.
I agree with this so much. Putting labels onto emotions and behaviour, forcing ourselves to segregate actions into a black and white spectrum when most of what we do is usually in the grey area...this is such a silent but poisonous act. We ourselves are eliminating emotional depth and introspection to consume everything in a bite sized way. I really don't know why we don the guise of nomchalance when it is our emotional connection and ability to form and reform opinions that differs us from other beings and makes us "intelligent". Even cats are better at faux nonchalance than us lol
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