If you are Republican because your parents are Republican, are you really Republican? If you have an opinion about something that you got from someone else, is it really your opinion?

A common occurrence in our society is what I call borrowing opinions. It is when people, usually teenagers, have certain views, thoughts or beliefs because that are what people around them think.

The main place this happens in is the home. A lot of people are raised on certain ideals or religious beliefs and never have any real basis for thinking what they do.

In the past, there have been many instances where I thought something and then found out that I had no basis for thinking that. For example, everyone in my family is really against tattoos. I used to think that they were bad idea, but one day I was approached by my youth minister who said he wanted to get a tattoo, and of course I was very against it. I told him how bad it was and he kept asking me why, and I eventually realized that the only reason I didn’t like tattoos is because my parents said they were bad.

From then on I have seen lots of things in my life that are products of how I was raised. I make an attempt to form my own opinions on things by not immediately dismissing something I disagree with, and instead listening when someone talks about it.

I think family traditions are great and your culture is something you should hold on to. It is a good idea to be reverent of other peoples opinions. I still would not ever get a tattoo for myself; I don’t want something that permanent, but that doesn’t mean I should be against other people getting them.

When it comes to our beliefs and opinions, it is important for us to make our own decisions and have our own individual thoughts. Independent thought is something we are all capable of, and we should take advantage of it.