Can you distinguish between ‘truth’ and ‘opinion?’: R. Jagadeesh - cleveland.com

Guest columnist Dr. R. Jagadeesh is presently serving as professor and head of the MBA Department in Karnataka, India. He was a visiting professor at The Richard J. Fox School of Business and Management at Temple University in Philadelphia from 2006 to 2012, where he taught a course on operations management.

Every day, we hear comments when we move around in a group or in a public place or while in conversation with others. The comments usually cover a wide range of topics, from politics to films, food to sports, lifestyle to spirituality, current affairs to history and, of course, the typical “hot” topics of the day, as discussed over the media.

When the comment is about somebody, someplace or some organization known to us, we evince more interest and listen carefully. The comments could be about mundane things or about special issues. We like the comments -- as long as they align with our own opinions.

What if the comments are quite different from what we normally hear, or something that appears to be improbable or weird, or even simply not convincing to us? The typical responses would be “I don’t think so” or “I don’t believe it” or “it can’t be.” People may take sides, and both parties are likely to stick to their respective views.

Conversations may quickly turn into heated debates, or discussions may abruptly end. At an extended level, people may feel hurt, disappointed or even sullen.

These situations raise an important question. Are we hearing the truth or are we assuming that what we are hearing is the truth? This requires our careful judgment and ability to discriminate between truth and opinion.

The one-time editor of the British newspaper Guardian, C.P Scott, wrote an essay in 1921, in which he said, “Comment is free, but facts are sacred.” Anyone can make a comment based on their opinion, but the truth remains the same. Truth doesn’t change because someone has expressed a different opinion.

Interestingly, the way we react to either what is true or what is an opinion (that may or may not be true) depends largely on whether we liked the comment. For example, comments like “you look great in this dress,” “you spoke very well,” or “you are an asset to our company” are liked by everybody, though they may not reflect reality. Such comments may even be considered true by the person who takes those comments as an endorsement to his beliefs.

On the other hand, if the comment is a negative statement, people may refuse to accept it, even though it may be the unpleasant truth. We need to be bold to accept the truth even if it happens to feel “unfair” to us.

Understanding this tendency, people try to comment in a way that would be liked by other persons, particularly when they are amidst their followers or subordinates, when they are addressing a gathering or when they are trying to please their boss.

C. P. Scott’s less-quoted saying may be more helpful for understanding the way we should express ourselves: “Comment also is justly subject to a self-imposed restraint. It is well to be frank; it is even better to be fair.”

So, let’s be careful before we comment or subscribe to others’ opinions.

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Readers are invited to submit Opinion page essays on topics of regional or general interest. Send your 500-word essay for consideration to Ann Norman at anorman@cleveland.com. Essays must include a brief bio and headshot of the writer. Essays rebutting today’s topics are also welcome.

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Can you distinguish between ‘truth’ and ‘opinion?’: R. Jagadeesh - cleveland.com
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