Are our opinions about issues something to be proud of, or an obstacle to be overcome? The American Heritage Dictionary defines "opinion" as "a belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof." My generation have been brought up to believe that it is our right to have and express our opinions, and furthermore, to be proud of them. Thus to see how opinions could be "an obstacle to be overcome" is grossly challenges our belief system. However on deeper consideration there is a genuine case for the argument that our opinions about issues are indeed 'obstacles to be overcome'.

Perhaps one of the more obvious negative aspects of having opinions about issues is bias, particularly in the media. Since written word began there has been bias in the media, and more often...