By Richard Ray:
Many of you have heard the saying, 
Everyone has an opinion. The question becomes, is your formulated opinion an educated one. By educated I am not referring to whether you have a GED or Ivy League degree. I am talking about taking the time to formulate an opinion based on gathering information before spewing out your thoughts.
We are all entitled to speak our minds. But do yourself and everyone else a favor and think before you speak, Tweet, or give any of your varied opinions on the vast array of subjects so many of you (including myself) feel so compelled for the world to know about. I often find the comments that people leave regarding my posts to be interesting. It is often clear that people give their opinions based on the title or a blurb. Even if the comment or opinion is complimentary it is also clear by what they write that they probably did not read the entire article, which often directly addresses the comment made.
We live in an age when it so easy to gather information on any subject. Headlines bait you to click, but I find that too few take the time to read. This leads to far too many people giving strong and emotional opinions on topics that it is clear that they know very little about. Lack of knowledge is not a prohibitor to one being entitled to an opinion, but would it not be easier, before you voice how strongly you feel on any and every subject, if you took even a few minutes first to really educate yourself on a subject even a little.
I am often asked my opinions on a wide range of subjects. Some I feel very passionate and even a little knowledgeable about. For others, I will not hesitate to defer giving my opinion until I can bring myself to better understand or even familiarize myself with a subject. Google is a hell of a tool. If you don’t know something, look it up. Sure it’s a little like school, and I know how much some of you hated research projects in school, but a few minutes out of your life to further educate yourself, make for much more clear and well thought out opinions, and that is something we are all thankful for and appreciate.
We all may have assholes and opinions, but it doesn’t mean they all have to stink. Opinions are personal and varied. Many will disagree for a multitude of reasons, but at least one that is well thought out and formulated, will generally be respected even if disagreed.
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