Are Your Thoughts And Opinions Actually Your Own?

Are Your Thoughts And Opinions Actually Your Own?.. Unraveling the Influence of External Factors on Your Beliefs.

Opinions, thoughts, and overall philosophy of life are often regarded as deeply personal and unique. However, upon closer examination, it becomes evident that many of these perspectives are not entirely original. Engage in conversations with strangers, and you’ll find that a significant portion of their viewpoints are merely regurgitations of phrases they’ve picked up from newspapers and television broadcasts, mistakenly believing them to be their own.

“My opinion on this is…” they confidently assert.

Personal attitudes and ideas, especially in group discussions, can spark heated debates as individuals strive to defend their viewpoints and assert their “knowledgeability” on the subject. Everyone desires validation for their beliefs and presents arguments to support their stance.

While this is a natural part of human interaction, it raises an important question: how many of your opinions and attitudes truly originate from within yourself, and how many have been “implanted” in your mind by your family and mass media?

Understanding the Imprint of Early Influences

To comprehend this phenomenon, it is crucial to recognize that critical thinking abilities do not fully develop until around the age of 6 or 7. Prior to this stage, there is no internal filter to discern which external influences to accept or reject. Consequently, everything your parents say, their values, and their perspectives—whether good or bad, right or wrong—leaves an imprint on you, and you unconsciously absorb and store them without question.

Furthermore, everything you encounter through various mediums like television, news, the internet, magazines, and even computer games, seeps into your subconscious mind, becoming deeply entrenched and shaping your thoughts, behavior, and responses to the world around you.

Are Your Thoughts And Opinions Actually Your Own?

Let’s explore a few illustrative examples to further grasp this concept.

The Influence of Family Imprints

Consider a mother who believed that none of the women in her family were attractive. Unbeknownst to you, your parents, grandparents, and other close relatives with whom you interacted regularly as a child have imprinted their beliefs upon you, much like a cookie cutter shapes dough. Take the dough, cut it out with the cookie cutter, and voila!

Your parents underwent a similar process as well. Their own parents’ opinions, attitudes, and values were imprinted on them, and the cycle continues from generation to generation. Even though society has evolved significantly since your grandparents’ time, traces of their perspectives still linger within you. These deeply ingrained beliefs and life rules, whether relevant to the present or not, influence your actions, relationships, and self-perception.

Embracing New Thinking in the Face of New Challenges

Let’s consider some modern-day examples. Several decades ago, the dominance of transnational corporations, the issues of overpopulation, limited resources, and alternative energy sources, and the acceptance of divorce and same-sex partnerships were not prominent topics. Engaging in a monologue while walking down the street would have been perceived as insanity, whereas now it is common to converse with an unseen person through an earpiece.

These emerging challenges require new ways of thinking. However, are we truly adapting our thought processes to address these novel concerns, or are we trapped in an imprint of outdated beliefs, attempting to apply them to new problems?

The Significance of Tradition and Family Values

Tradition and family values hold a certain importance. You likely hold them dear and consider them as a part of your identity, passed down from your ancestors. As long as these values do not hinder you from becoming the best version of yourself, hinder your professional growth, or impede the development of a fulfilling and loving relationship, there is no issue.

However, it is essential to consider how deeply embedded beliefs in your unconscious mind can affect your self-perception. If you constantly harbor doubts and lack self-confidence due to inherited beliefs, such as not being attractive enough or being inadequate in various aspects of life, it can hinder your progress.

Remember, the beliefs firmly rooted in your unconscious mind operate independently of your conscious will.

You may learn it on your own at The MindTech Institute Online NLP Training or with the help of a qualified NLP Practitioner.