How’s that old saying go? There’s nothing new under the sun. Seems like that has never been more true.

I know I quote and reference Seth Godin a lot. But sometimes what I love about his writings is not even the main idea. It’s what lies in the periphery of his topic. He has a casual (I like that adjective) way of stating the profound. This is a perfect example.

The ideas that are being spread most often today aren’t ideas at all. They’re opinions.

If you make a statement like that, then you believe there’s a difference between ideas and opinions.

And, in my opinion, there is.

I won’t bore you with the definitions of both words (you can look them up if you’re curious), but the main difference is active vs. passive. An idea is a concept. It is something, but it may be without form. An opinion is an impression, a view.

Ever work with Play-Doh? You probably did as a kid. What did you do BEFORE you formed something? You imagined what you were about to make, didn’t you? Well, that was an idea. You thought of a horse as your idea, then you projected that idea into the Play-Doh. Then a classmate looked at it and said it looked more like a weenie dog. And that was his opinion.

OK, now stay with me here. Why does this matter? Because who was really influential in our Play-Doh scenario? You were. You created something. Something that stimulated the other kid to form an opinion. Did he create anything? Nothing, except for a view of your idea. His view may affect how you feel about your horse, but it doesn’t change your horse. In fact, you can still influence his already-formed opinion. Put a saddle on the horse, maybe a bridle. Maybe lengthen the legs. Then he may say, “Oh yeah. NOW it’s a horse.” Bingo! Your idea became his opinion. And that is powerful.

Problem is, ideas are a lot more difficult to create than opinions. Often times, we’re happy with just having opinions. It seems a lot safer than having ideas. Creating ideas can be scary, because what if they say my horse looks like a weenie dog? We’re afraid of rejection. But we’re being passive. We’re not really producing anything. In the process, we let others live our lives for us. And it’s a lot more dangerous to just have opinions. Because now the issue is framed. It’s either a horse or a dog, but it really doesn’t look like anything else. Now someone else has most of the influence. The one who had the idea.

Maybe it’s not a horse or a dog. Maybe it’s a donkey or an elephant. Maybe it’s a choice or it’s murder. Maybe it’s a lifestyle or a sin. Maybe you have an opinion. But do you have any idea?