The Right to Be Undecided
We live in a world where having an opinion seems almost compulsory. A new controversy appears. Someone shares an article. A colleague asks what we think. A friend brings up a complicated situation. And somehow, we’re expected to have an answer. Preferably a clear one. Preferably immediately. Have you noticed how uncomfortable it has become to say, “I don’t know what I think yet”? But since when? We tend to associate confidence with competence. Someone who speaks decisively sounds informed. Someone who hesitates may appear uncertain, unprepared, or weak. But certainty and understanding are not necessarily the same thing. Yet hesitation isn’t necessarily a sign of deeper thinking, either. Sometimes we simply don’t know enough. The interesting question is why admitting this feels more uncomfortable than expressing an opinion we haven’t really examined. Consider how quickly a conversation can turn into a negotiation between established positions. We listen to find arguments to support or c...
