Posted by
ICONIC FREEDOM on Thursday, March 19, 2009 8:36:00 AM
SUBJECTIVE vs. OBJECTIVE: Knowing the Difference
It seems like an unusual and rather simplistic topic for a blog, yet it is turns out that these two words are quickly becoming the most misused words in our political & public square.
Life is easy and natural when you are living in Health = Freedom; the more you have of one the more you have of the other.
SUBJECTIVE: feelings, personal experience, emotions, opinion
OBJECTIVE: facts, without emotion, without feelings, data
Why would this be a topic for a blog, you ask? I’m glad you asked.
Today, more than ever, turn on the television, the radio, read a blog, a news website – and most, if not all that is expressed, are SUBJECTIVE; people expressing their emotions, feelings and personal experiences. Great things, do you agree? So, what’s the problem?
The problem is that these emotions and feelings, which are subjective opinions, are being treated like they’re OBJECTIVE FACTS – they are not.
If you believe that Wall Street is greedy that is SUBJECTIVE OPINION and not a fact. Why? Because you would have to define what greed is and then by what authority have you derived such an idea? Whatever your answer, even more questions will follow.
Why do you get to decide? Why is it that your derivation for criteria of greed is the definition of greed? Is it merely because others agree with you? Did you take a vote and it was decided? One man’s greed is another’s living wage.
If you believe that abortion is wrong, by what authority? What is your derivation for setting the criteria? Why your derivation? Why your criteria? Who gets to decide the criteria to begin with?
How about marriage, what of that criterion for deciding? Why do you get to decide? What is the derivation for making such a decision and disenfranchising others from your particular SUBJECTIVE OPINION?
Obviously, these are all very controversial topics in our society which are furthered in controversy by the FACT that everyone keeps applying their SUBJECTIVE OPINION of how they feel about these subjects, not what the FACTS are about these topics.
If your derivation for setting a criterion is perhaps your version of a deity, no one would infringe on your freedoms to do so. However, do you consider that if you are applying your particular deity you are telling everyone else they are wrong? How do you know you’re not wrong? Are others not free to decide who their deity is and criterion in life to be determined? What of those with no deity?
OPINIONS are not FACTS. If an opinion is proven through evidence, then it’s a fact.
Having your feelings, emotions and opinions is inherent within every human being. Living in America gives rise to the freedom of expression of such; we are lucky we’re here. Infringing on others who hold different opinions about marriage, greed, abortion and any other topic, is anti-American.
Furthering your personal agenda of imposing those feelings, emotions and opinions rooted in your personal deity or derivations through the courts or legislation is worse than anti-American, it starts to border on Totalitarianism when others are forced to think like you or behave like you.
The FACT is that every human being has personal experience and personal derivations by which they place personal subjective value upon a myriad of topics in our world.
In a free society with an understanding of free market values – the individual decides the value and then acts within self-interest.
No one person holds authority to tell another how to live his or her life.
You cannot negate a person’s emotions, feelings or experience because they belong to the individual – it’s personal. You can disagree, but so what?
If you make your choices in this life where each choice does not cost another human being unless he or she consents (contracts) with you, then how could that behavior ever be anything other than American – freedom, free choice, pursuit of happiness.
I may not agree with your choices, so what? If your personal subjective choice from your personal subjective derivation does not infringe on my civil liberties, my personal freedom to choose, then why would I care? If your choices are at no cost to me without my consent where I said, “Yes”, then why would I care?
The simple answer: control
Anytime you are not giving a free choice you are attempting to manipulate and control others.
I don’t care how you apply the formula – that’s what you are doing.
Controlling or manipulation is your version of thinking you know how others should live, what choices they should make, the quality of their experiences – none of which was turned over to you as authority to infringe on an individual’s civil liberty.
To alleviate much of these arguments of power regarding subjective vs. objective when it comes to people wanting their personal self-interest upheld, we all need to move toward getting government out of our lives.
The more government dictates morality and value through the courts and legislation, the more bogged down we get to the point of not having the ability to move without offending someone, somewhere, with something by which punitive measures are taken and civil liberties are infringed upon; putting people's civil rights up to a vote by a mob mentality.
Is that what your intention is? It's what you're doing, not what you say you're doing, that counts.
If you want to know more about this and lots of other controversial topics by which you can release yourself from victimization, check out my book or contact me.