It is my opinion that many people connote 'value' to mean 'worth.' You may take that for what it is 'worth.' It may have some 'value' to you.

The value of people's opinions work with physical laws, as does everything in the universe. If you accept that premise, then we can move on to opinions with 'light value,' opinions with 'grave value,' and opinions with 'no value.'

Light Valued Opinions

Opinions that are enlightening, uncommon, and profound would be opinions with 'light value.' Where these opinions come from are 'relative to one's perspective.' To a child, learning 'one plus one equals two' is enlightening, though we know it is fact, not opinion. Nonetheless, it illustrates the 'relativity' of 'light valued opinions.'

Some opinions of 'light value' 'relative to me' are:

"Unjust suffering is redemptive," which was Dr. King's opinion;
"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind," which was Ghandi's opinion;
"Fish and visitors stink after three days," which was Ben Franklin's opinion.

Whether the source of 'light valued' opinions is an educator, a spiritual leader, or a co-worker, it is an opinion that 'sheds uncommon light' to a subject. How much, or how little, value we individually place on light opinions, and which opinions we find our light in, will formulate 'our opinions of what is right and wrong.' It will also be 'our individuality.'

Grave Valued Opinions

Opinions that 'amass into common thinking' are 'grave valued' opinions. To a child, a scolding and praise are both examples of 'grave valued' opinions. If we are to fit into the mass of society, we must place 'high value' on thoughts that 'amass sufficiently' to have 'gravity.'

Democracy is a concept wherein 'the gravest opinion (majority) rules.' We tend to have 'common, grave valued opinions' with our friends. Coaches not only give 'light valued' opinions for growth, they coordinate the individuals with 'grave value' strategy, through opinion, of course!

The value we place on 'grave valued' opinions, and to the various degrees of gravity we give those opinion, will formulate 'our popularity.'

No Valued Opinions

Opinions that we summarily dismiss, regardless of the worth of the opinion, are opinions of 'no value.' Though it may seem irrelevant to go past that, the opinions we place 'no value' on are actually very important in determining 'who we are.'

Since the value of the opinion is 'relative' to our individual persepectives, an opinion that has 'light value' or 'grave value' to one person, may have 'no value' to another. While that may seem harmless, and nobody's business, our 'grave valued opinions' often change when the opinion with 'no value' to another is 'thou shalt not kill.'

Just as we should not mistake 'value' for 'worth,' we should not mistake 'no value' with 'benign.' The opinion upon which another places 'no value' may be very dangerous to society, or individuals within that society.

On the other hand, we may place 'no value' on the opinion of a preacher whose opinion others place 'light value' on, with no physical harm to anyone. We may place 'no value' on the 'grave valued' opinions of one group to associate with another group whose opinion we 'gravely value' to be our friends. In those instances, the result may be benign, but only if we place 'grave concerns' ahead of opinions on which we place 'no value.'

Opinions on which we place 'no value' formulate 'our responsibility.'

Conclusion

To reiterate, that is 'my opinion.' You may take it for what you feel it is 'worth.' You may even place some 'value' on it, if you wish.

I have no opinion on that!

Learn more about this author, Tom Koecke.
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