Should one share opinions?

[Amelius]

Atheism and Anarchism; two topics that are considered somewhat of cultural taboos where I come from.(Lebanon)...and although I have been open about them to my close entourage, I feel very frustrated and anxious when I refrain from voicing my opinions about any random topic in fear of negative consequences.(I received an informal death threat once, for example)What should I do? Stef seems so confident and voices his opinions publicly, yet I don't know if I can do that without drawing too much unwanted attention.PS: On the other hand, I have voiced my opinions quite strongly on sites like Facebook, just under a pen name.

[Lowe D]

Idk what you should do.  I have had virtually zero reward from these conversations.  I think the threshold intelligence required is too high.

 

I think it would be smart of you not to share your ideas with your professors, since you're a student.  Professors give better marks to students they like, and they will stop liking you in a hurry if you discuss these topics.

[Stephen C]

Atheism and Anarchism; two topics that are considered somewhat of cultural taboos where I come from.(Lebanon)...and although I have been open about them to my close entourage, I feel very frustrated and anxious when I refrain from voicing my opinions about any random topic in fear of negative consequences.(I received an informal death threat once, for example)What should I do? Stef seems so confident and voices his opinions publicly, yet I don't know if I can do that without drawing too much unwanted attention.PS: On the other hand, I have voiced my opinions quite strongly on sites like Facebook, just under a pen name.

I think the two topics are irrelevant in these interactions, not that they aren't important topics. What is relevant is your feelings and the thoughts attached to them.You could say "I feel frustrated and anxious" and see if you are able to make any contact this way. . 

[Guest darkskyabove]

"It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brains falls out." (Carl Sagan)

 

I would think the simple solution to your problem is rather obvious. If confronted with violent reaction to your words, why would you even talk to such people? Safety first.

 

If you have compelling reasons for broaching "dangerous" topics, I would suggest expressing things not as "your opinion", but in a more general frame. And take it slow. There's no need to dump a load of controversy on an unfriendly audience.

 

The Socratic method may be useful, whereby you pose pointed questions in the hope that your listener will re-examine their own beliefs.

 

Most important: never expect people to change the way they think in a short amount of time. Planted seeds may take some time to sprout.

[PatrickC]

"It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brains falls out." (Carl Sagan)

 

Ha, good quote DarkSky...

 

To the OP voicing your opinion ideally should be done in a environment whereby you can defend them with reason. And conversely you are amongst critics that are more likely to use reason as well (or at least the audience).

 

How you get to that understanding comes from a deeper understanding and confidence in yourself. Hence the need for 'self knowledge'.

[Pepin]

Be aware of your environment and your goals. There are people to have these conversations with, and people you ought not to have any conversation with. There are times where voicing your thoughts and beliefs can have a long term negative impact on your life, and other times where it might be painful, but needed.