o-pin-ion [uh-pin-yuh n] – Noun

1.    A belief or judgment that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty.

2.    A personal view, attitude, or appraisal.

3.    The formal expression of a professional judgment: to ask for a second medical opinion.

4.    Law. The formal statement by a judge or court of the reasoning and the principles of law used in reaching a decision of a case.

5.    a judgment or estimate of a person or thing with respect to character, merit, etc.: to forfeit someone’s good opinion.

6.     A favorable estimate; esteem: I haven’t much of an opinion of him.

Synonyms:1. persuasion, notion, idea, impression. Opinion, sentiment, vieware terms for one's conclusion about something. An opinion is a belief or judgment that falls short of absolute conviction, certainty, or positive knowledge; it is a conclusion that certain facts, ideas, etc., are probably true or likely to prove so: political opinions; an opinion about art; In my opinion this is true. Sentiment (usually pl.) refers to a rather fixed conviction, usually based on feeling or emotion rather than reasoning: These are my sentiments. View is an estimate of something, an intellectual judgment, a critical survey based on a mental examination, particularly of a public matter:views on governmental planning. 

opinion. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved March 02, 2009, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/opinion

I think it’s important to understand definitions.  Not just the general   use of a word, but the true definition, so there is no misunderstanding. For example, take the word ‘opinion’ – as shown above it means my personal view; what I think.  It may not be the actual hard fact, but it is what I believe it to be.

So why do some people think that they have a sworn duty to make me see that my opinion is wrong. Maybe theirs is wrong. So what, it’s what I believe that matters to me.  I am not a debater.  I don’t like arguing, it creates too much stress in my life.  I have enough stress without adding anything as silly as arguing over opinions.  Some people say that I’m a pushover because I don’t argue back.  Nope, I just pick my battles.  When I argue with you, you better believe I will have facts.  You better have some too, because just because you say so won’t win any points with me. 

Now I will be the first to admit that I have walked away from a lot of arguments without “winning.”  Sometimes, there just no point in continuing.  One lady told me that her mother used to work with my grandfather at a local business.  I was very nice; asked who her mother was and what time period that was (mainly because I didn’t think that her mother was old enough to have worked at that business at the same time as my grandfather).  Sure enough her mother worked there in the 1940’s, but when I told her that my grandfather had owned that business, but sold it in the 1930’s to someone else she informed me that I was wrong, her mother had worked WITH my grandfather and he had never owned it.  Now, first of all, don’t ever argue my family history with me - I am the family historian!  Second of all, my grandfather had started that business from nothing in the 1920’s – which I shared with my friend.  No, I was totally wrong, she was right.  I smiled politely and said I would go home and check my facts (not!). Why continue?  It was a pointless argument.  I wasn’t going to change her opinion and I was sure of my facts.  Time to move on.

Now, I’m not saying that you might convince me that I’m wrong – IF you can produce the cold, hard facts that say I’m wrong. But if you just want to argue using your opinion, then I’m sorry, I have other things to do.