Human Opinion

Our sense of self-worth is heavily influenced by the values of the people around us. Ideas about beauty, fashion, success, fame, power, strength, intelligence, value, individual rights, patriotism, love, relationships, parenting—all are society-driven. For example, take something as simple as beauty—how do we determine who is beautiful? There are some similar cross-cultural ideas that involve facial symmetry and certain features that imply strength in males and fertility in females. However, there are marked differences in what is considered beautiful depending on the time and place in which you live. The same can be said for ideas about power, or intelligence, or relationships. The traits that were considered good a thousand years ago among Australian aborigines would not be the same as those that are valued now in the U.S. A thousand years ago, power and intelligence would have been measured in different ways than it would be now. Physical strength and hunting acumen would have been valued over computer skills, possession of paper money, or a higher education. Unlike now, skinny women would have been considered weak and thus useless.

We are all influenced by other people—some of us more so than others. The only way to prevent this is to live in complete isolation with no exposure to any media. I know a few people who have attempted to minimize worldly influences by living in rural areas. Although this cuts down a bit of the noise of human opinion, some of the polluted ideas still seep through.

“The fear of human opinion disables, trusting in GOD protects you from that. (Prov. 29:25 MSG)

When we decide what is good and worthy by the opinions of fellow humans—we become disabled. When we surround ourselves with God’s presence, allowing His wisdom to seep in and saturate our minds—then, His influence overpowers the cacophony of the world. Complete trust in God acts as the only effective force field against human opinion.