📙 Part 2: Describe a person who always has strong opinions

This episode's vocabulary

Unshakable (adj.) - if someone's trust or belief is unshakeable, it is firm and cannot be made weaker or destroyed.

Opinionated (adj.) - an opinionated person is certain about their beliefs, and expresses their ideas strongly and often.

Uncompromising (adj.) - if people or their beliefs are uncompromising, they are fixed and do not change, especially when faced with opposition.

Committed (adj.) - loyal and willing to give your time and energy to something that you believe in.

Explicitly (adverb) - in a way that is clear and exact.

Implacable (adj.) - used to describe (someone who has) strong opinions or feelings that are impossible to change.

To stick to your gun (phrase) - if you stick to your guns, you continue to have your own opinion about something even though other people are trying to tell you that you are wrong.

To press your point (phrase) - to insist that the issue be discussed, even though others may not want to discuss them.

Perspective (noun) - a particular way of considering something.

Wishy-washy (adj.) - having no colour, firm ideas, principles, or noticeable qualities of any type.

Questions and Answers

R: Well, I'm a bit spoiled for choice, to be honest, since I know a lot of people like this, but my best friend Rob has some pretty unshakable positions on a variety of things. We've known each other for well over 15 years now. When it comes to his being opinionated, it's a hard thing to miss with him. He's a good listener but is pretty uncompromising about what he thinks is the correct way of going about things. I can remember one time we were talking about work, and he was pretty committed to the view that people in a particular situation were just being lazy and not thinking clearly, and had to be told explicitly what to do correctly. And while I could see where he was coming from, I felt there might be other things to consider about this situation. Nevertheless, he was completely implacable and stuck to his gun. So I didn't press my point, and I just left him to have this point of view. And I'm quite fine with that, to be honest. I'm not of the opinion that you need to win every argument to have an impact in the world. It's much easier if you just live your values and your truth rather than ram it down someone's throat. It's also less stressful and requires much less effort as well. At least from my point of view or perspective, even though we didn't agree on that particular point, I haven't changed my mind at all about our friendship or anything like that. I mean, if anything, it's important to be friends with people who are consistent in terms of their values and not wishy-washy. I think it's something that makes for a good friend, or at least a consistent one. Still, if he had changed his mind, I also wouldn't have thought any less of him. People are allowed to change their minds. And like I say, they don't need to win every argument to be thought of as good or worthwhile people in the world.

M: And what about your friends? What do they think of this person?

R: Well, I think pretty much everyone is of the view that he's a good person. So regardless of whether they agree or not.

M: Yay! Thank you, Rory, for your story!