Recently I was reading the Washita Valley Community Magazine when I came across a very intriguing article.  The article was titled, “Why the Chicken Crossed the Road… A New Study.”

The article consisted of how 25 famous people would answer the question of why the chicken was crossing the road.  The responses ranged from Barack Obama and Nancy Grace to Dr. Seuss and Colonel Sanders.

Although the answers were made up, it was a very entertaining read because the answers were accurate to what the person would say if asked.

I assume most readers liked Bill Clinton’s response saying, “I did not cross the road with that chicken.” Or maybe they found Nancy Grace’s response to be entertaining.  She said, “That chicken crossed the road because he’s guilty. You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.” Then there’s my main man Colonel Sanders who asked worriedly, “Did I miss one?”

All joking aside, there was one response that really provoked my thoughts.  Naturally, it was Grandpa’s response that spoke to me.

When faced with the question of why the chicken crossed the road, Grandpa said, “In my day we didn’t ask why the chicken crossed the road.  Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough for us.”

His response to the question pesters a thought in my mind that I have had for a while, but just haven’t been able to articulate until now. Grandpa’s response helped formulate my idea in a way that I can now convey it to others.

I believe that we need to stop having opinions.

Hold up. Am I not here writing about my own opinion? Isn’t that contradictory? Doesn’t that make me seem entitled?

Well, hear me out and let me explain what I mean.

I don’t think that having or voicing your opinion is wrong. I think it is essential to be true to yourself and not let anyone try to persuade you into believing something you don’t truly believe in. However, I feel like people are becoming more and more opinionated.

It seems to me that some people have opinions on anything and everything.  Sometimes I think people have opinions just so they can talk and seem like they are educated in that area.  However, they tend to voice their opinion is every situation!

First off, this makes that person lose credibility, at least in my eyes. They will eventually be exposed if they are just beating the air.

Secondly, yes, a person can be educated in many different topics.  However, there are very, very few people who are educated enough in every area to formulate their own opinions.  They might know what other people’s opinions are, but they just don’t know enough about that particular subject to conjure up their own.

When someone has opinions on everything I always think of the quote, which says, “It’s better to remain silent and thought a fool than speak and remove all doubt.”

So, I don’t mean that we don’t need to have opinions.  What I mean is what Grandpa said.  It is perfectly okay to step back and let someone else take the reins on some topics and areas.  It is perfectly okay to not have an opinion in every situation. And it is perfectly okay to not voice your opinion when it pops into your mind.

If you don’t know about an area, such as chicken’s psyche, there is nothing wrong with being told what is going on.  You don’t have to let that become your opinion, but you don’t have to pretend that you know what is going on either.

Nothing is wrong with the simple statement “I don’t know.”  It doesn’t mean you are dumb because you don’t know; it simply means you are ignorant or unaware and acknowledging that to try to fix it.

I think that sometimes we need to stop beating the air and just sit back and take in what is going on around us.

If, after you take in numerous educated opinions, you can create your own, that’s great.  However, we won’t die if we don’t hear that opinion you have just fashioned out of thin air.

Just beware of opening your mouth and removing the doubt that you are a fool.