You Should Not Force Your Opinion On Others.

I am quite sure you can relate to the subject of this article. I particularly think it is a discussion that we should have with friends and family because it has crushed some vital relationships and if not checked can cause more harm in the future. The act of forcing your opinion on others is called OBTRUSION.

Have you ever had a conversation with a person who was trying to impose an opinion or ideology on you which you didn’t agree with?

How did you feel about it?

How did you feel about them?

This piece aims to help people have a mind shift and correct the notion of trying to change others by imposing your opinion on them.

It’s Valid For Us To Have Different Opinions.

We were raised in different backgrounds, by different people, and with different belief systems. If this is the case, then it is not out of place for us to perceive things differently. Our different levels of exposure and experiences ascertain the fact that we will see things differently.

Let’s paint a scenario of two young ladies who have different opinions on the subject of raising children:

Lady A believes that as a married woman who has started having kids, you must quit your job to be a “stay-at-home-mum”

Lady B believes that you don’t necessarily have to be a stay-at-home mum to raise your children.

The point here is not to argue about who is right or who is wrong.
It’s possible that the person who believes that she should be a “stay-at-home mum” grew up alongside her siblings and she never had her mum around.

She believed that the waywardness of her brothers owed to the fact that their mum was not at home to raise them and instill the right morals in them.

Lady B, on the other hand, might feel like, my mum raised us with a governess and still squeezed out time while working on her job to raise me and my siblings and we are doing just fine.

She then says to herself “I don’t have to be a stay-at-home mum.”

Guess what, their points are both valid based on the level of their exposure and experience.

Do you want to imagine what will happen if they got into an argument on the method that works best?

It Is Not About Winning An Argument.

As humans, we always want our opinions to have the right of way every time but we have to retrain ourselves from thinking and acting that way.

You don’t have to seek to win an argument, you don’t even have to get into an argument.

We have to understand that our views and opinion are important like the other person’s view. When you try to force your opinion on others, (especially when it has to do with something you want them to change in their lives) you lose them in the process.

The mindset you should have toward sharing your opinion is to the end that you want to help people or learn from the opinions of others and not try to make them throw away their own opinions to align with yours.

In relating with a lot of my friends, especially when talking to them on the subject of growth, I proffer help or solution from a suggestion standpoint and ask them what they think or feel about it.

When a person knows that you are not there to push your own opinion down their throat or force them into doing or believing what they don’t want to, they let down their guard and it is much easier to help a person that way. The motive should be to help other people even when you think they are not seeing things correctly.

Based on the scenario of Lady A and Lady B above, if Lady B feels like Lady A is doing so well on her job and doesn’t want her to quit her job to be a “stay-at-home-mum” — and Lady B also supports the idea of instilling morals in her children.

Lady B can help Lady A see things differently by explaining what hiring a governess can help her do and the reason she might have to consider the option of hiring a governess.

If Lady A still doesn’t agree, it’s okay for lady B to respect her opinion and end the conversation.

Let Others Know This.

I know you have a couple of people on your mind who you think have to know this. You can share the link to this post with them or facilitate a conversation around this subject with them.

When a lot of people around the world understand this, it will help foster stronger relationships.

Stop forcing your opinion on others, be all out to genuinely help others.