Other People's Opinions

It is probable that all of us are sensitive to the opinions of other people. And yet it is not uncommon to hear those who say that they don’t care what others think. But in saying this, perhaps they are not quite stating the truth; and if they are, perhaps they are not so wise as they might be. It is of first importance, of course, to be right. But, even when we are right, it is also of great importance to have other people think we are right. Even a good cause has need of friends. And he whom ignores prevailing opinion, right or wrong, does himself and his cause an injustice. But sometimes a person who has a strong conviction of the soundness of his own position assumes that he is justified in withdrawing himself and saying that he doesn’t care what others think. Sometimes a man who is sure that he is entrenched in truth may feel that he doesn’t need to know or need to care what others think. Of course, truth doesn’t need the good opinion of anyone for its survival. Truth is impervious to the opinions of people. But a man can be the possessor of great truth and still be very lonely, and very comfortable—and his truth may be lonely with him. And he owes it to the truth he believes in, he owes it to the preservation of what he knows to be right, to care what others think—because perhaps only by caring what others think can he get others to care what he thinks. What other people think is important—even if it isn’t right, because there is some reason for what they think. And if we know what they think, it may help us to understand them. And if we understand them, it may help them to understand us. Everyone’s opinion is relatively important because it presents part of what the world thinks, and what the world thinks affects all of us. Of course, there is the extreme of being slavishly sensitive to the opinions of others, which no man can afford to be. No self-respecting individual would ever compromise a principle for the good opinion of anyone—and if he did, he wouldn’t get it. To be respectfully concerned about the opinions of others does not mean that we must accept their opinions. But as to that stubborn individual who bluntly says he doesn’t care what others think—even though we may admire his courage, we are appalled at his stupidity. The chances are that he does care. But whether he does or not, he should.