Wandering About How Opinions Form

We have all formed our own personal opinions to just about everything. Have you ever wondered how those opinions originated and why they change over time and are they correct?

A lot of our opinions were formed when we were very young and we probably forgot what forged these opinions. We just take certain things for granted and don’t give them a second thought.

I am going to give you an example out of my own life where I formed an opinion early in life but reversed it later on. Two emotions that are extremely strong and sometimes defy all reason are hate and love. We learn both at an early age. My parents and Sunday School taught me love, and the following story taught me hate.

I told you before that when I was a young boy, starting about age six or so, that I spent most of my time out side in our large yard or exploring the woods that bordered our back yard. Those deep dark woods must have been a million miles deep. It took me a couple of years before I found the other side. Huge accomplishment for such a small boy (grin). I am wondering off the subject; will talk about the woods some other day.

One day when I was around seven years old, I was out playing in the yard and heard this awful screaming coming from the over grown field next to our property. I ran over and found a cat trying to kill a rabbit. I grabbed hold of the cat and pulled it off the rabbit. Having my hands full with the cat I didn’t see where the rabbit went. Dropped the cat before I got clawed to pieces and then tried to find the rabbit. Being a small boy, I just wondered all over that thick grown up field calling for the rabbit, “here bunny bunny bunny, come here bunny, bunny, bunny”.

I finally gave up and headed for my favorite spot, the deep dark woods. Came back for lunch and found out that the rabbit had come up to our rear porch steps, had a litter of babies and they all died, even the mother. How did that rabbit know to come to my back steps??? That was amazing, but it changed my life. I hated cats from that day on.

Way later in life, my two sons brought home two kittens that were given to them by a neighbor. I couldn’t say no to them and anyway, the kittens were really cute, to bad they had to grow up to be cats, I thought to myself. Well they did grow up to be cats and they warmed their way into my heart. My hatred of cats disappeared for ever and we actually got a third cat. We had a basset hound at the time and they all got along great. So you see, my negative opinion I had for all those years was wrong and I am sorry it took so long to correct it. One negative action by one cat shouldn’t condemn all cats, just as one negative act by one person shouldn’t condemn the whole human race.