Dr. Vijai S Shankar MD.PhD.

Published on www.acadun.com

The Netherlands

8th August 2013

 

 

What does Opinion mean?

 

In simple terms, opinion means what man thinks about something or someone. It may be a view or judgment about something or someone. Man has opinions about those he meets, lives with, is associated with and is friends with. Opinions are present in every generation: in every family, in every school, in every business, in every sport, in every religion, in every spiritual group, in every branch of science, in every form of academics, in every debate, in every type of media, in every friend and every lover, in every husband and every wife, and in every situation in daily life.

 

In daily life, behaviour determines opinion. If man likes his opinion about the behaviour of the other, he is either friendly or loving and, if he does not, he is neither friendly nor loving. But what is behaviour? Behaviour is a characteristic feature of man. It distinguishes him from an animal, which has behaviour of its own with which it is born. Behaviour, likewise, is inborn within man; it evolves within him as he grows up. This has been so from primitive to present times. Behaviour means, it is the way man acts or conducts himself towards others in any situation in primitive or present times. In every generation man has loved to live in peace, but he has been unable to, because in every generation he has a daily battle of opinions to fight that he tries to win. The battle, however, never ends. It goes on day after day in every generation somewhere or the other.

 

Every moment, movement and sound happens to man in life and is not made by man. The mind knows the moment as time, movement as action, and sound as words and thoughts. Life makes them happen to the mind too, so that man may one day understand that time, action, words and thoughts are illusory and not real.

 

The understanding that has happened to man so far makes him believe that actions, words and thoughts are real, and that behaviour can be tutored or influenced by good education, upbringing and advice. This can happen too and it does, but nevertheless, opinions still prevail to fight the battle another day.

 

The understanding that has happened to man so far makes him accept, reject and expect. When man understands that actions, words and thoughts are illusory, he will merely accept what is in life and will neither reject nor expect.

 

Understanding has evolved from primitive times, and will continue to evolve. This means the depth of understanding reflects the quality of speech and movement in every generation. To some an understanding has happened that action, word and thought are illusory. They are the sages who accept life as it is and are free of opinions about behaviour.

 

So what does opinion mean? Opinion about behaviour means he is still a man and not a Sage.


Author: Dr. Vijai S. Shankar
© Copyright V. S. Shankar 2013

 

Editor’s Note:


Life has gifted man with this rare opportunity of meeting a living sage at the point of his understanding of the multiple expressions of life, time, movement , thoughts and actions, that man is born to experience. This article, whose author is such a living sage, shows, precisely and exquisitely, how every man, woman and child lives and interacts with the contents of his own mind, albeit illusory, projecting them into the imaginary world in which he believes he lives. For every man, woman and child this imaginary world is oh so real! Fortunate is the man or woman who accepts this rare opportunity.

Julian, U.K

 

 

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