How it is

I came across this little description of a subset of the English language which eliminates the verb "to be" called E-Prime. Reading it brought to the surface many fragmented thoughts from the past.

I have often found the human inability to distinguish between opinion and truth fascinating. This interest has made me very sensitive to how people express themselves. Certainty frequently turns my stomach and I often find myself challenging people in an attempt to put a crack in their rock solid mindset.

The worst case of indigestion usually arises after a meal of unsolicited advice. It takes me back to my youth where I endured an individual who felt it necessary to impose her limited understanding of the world as if it were absolute truth. Opinions are open for discussion but facts are irrefutable.

So I'm working on not letting such narrowmindedness get to me through realizing that I am built up of similar dogmatic certainties. I see it as learning to tolerate intolerance; including my own.

So the next time you have something to say try offering your opinion rather than forcing your belief and I'll try not to take it so seriously. Better yet: share the experience off of which your opinion is based. Lets try to remember that we only know how it seems: not how it is.