We often value the opinions of others – what they think about the math test we just took, what they think about the new dress we just bought, or even their opinion about a friend they met. But, sometimes we take these opinions and adopt them as our own. It is good to be willing to listen to the ideas of others, but not to the extent that we fail to form our own beliefs.

Sure, maybe some blondes are dumb (as are some brunettes), and some Asians are excellent at math, but so are other people. These categorizations are not true for all the people in those categories, so they should not be used as a way to judge other people.

In reality, there are stereotypes among all people: men and women, black and white people, but every stereotype is not necessarily true. Each person – regardless of gender or skin color – has unique traits and abilities that need to be appreciated. From the surface we can see immediately what a person looks like – her skin color and her gender – but we do not know anything else but that.

All these stereotypes show that in reality, we really know very little about others. It is up to us to make the effort in forming our own opinions by getting to know people. We should not rely on what others think or even what society tells us to think.

This idea applies to our lives as Sacred Heart students. What do we assume about our classmates, teachers, or coaches before we even get to know them?

If we open our minds to see everyone as equal, the world can be a beautiful place. We should not allow preconceived notions to shape our beliefs but rather, we ourselves, should shape our own ideas through experience, conversations, and open minds. We are the future, and it is up to us to stop the advocation of stigmas in our world.

– Emily Hirshorn and Jessica Johnson, Co-Opinions Editors