We Don't Have to Have an Opinion on Everything

From an early age, the modern upbringing trains us to form an opinion on every question. More than that — it teaches us to take a side whenever several views exist. Then it nudges us to radicalize that side, to drag it toward one of the extremes. And there we are, ready to wage endless battles with anyone whose opinion differs from ours even slightly, burning absurd amounts of energy and resources defending our convictions.

During the pandemic we got a vast supply of “COVID-19 experts,” and now^[1] nearly every other person is a “military strategist.” Politics I won’t even get into.

But do we actually need an opinion on everything?

Marcus Aurelius wrote: “You always have the option of having no opinion.”

Just as we have the right to say “no” without explanation and without guilt, we have the right to hold no opinion on any given question. And this approach does something more: it lowers the mental load, freeing us from needless rumination and anxiety over topics outside the focus of our attention.

Having no opinion isn’t about lacking a “backbone” or principles. Quite the opposite — it’s a sign of information hygiene, of order in your thoughts, of knowing the limits of your own competence and respecting your own resources.

Often, having no position lowers the social tension and lets us sidestep conflicts that flare up over nothing, leaving the other person free to keep their own view.

Here’s to all of us claiming the right to have no opinion, with no fear of judgment! 😎

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1. As of June 2024. ↩︎