Open-Mindedness vs. Closed-Mindedness:

By TLS

“I take pride in being short sighted, having a narrow perspective, and closed minded!” This seems to be the unspoken motto of far too many people today. Yes, living in a cozy little comfort zone can seem reassuring. Also, inside this comfort zone, no one can challenge my perspectives. Never mind that I may be completely wrong about all my views.

This is the sad reality we face today, particularly in the United States. Far too much of the population now embraces short sightedness and ignorance over education and new perspectives. Unfortunately, I do not believe for a second that anyone from this referenced group will ever read these words. Or any other words that might encourage consideration or an alternate viewpoint.

I have changed my mind, perspective, and opinion on many subjects these past several years. I don’t know if it’s simply because I’m getting older or if it's the result of intentionally seeking out additional information or viewpoints.

I don’t think it’s a matter of changing from Republican to Democrat or conservative to liberal, so to speak. I think it is more a matter of simply being willing to acknowledge other view points actually exist. I may not agree with the point of view, but I at least understand my tiny perspective is not all-encompassing. Is this better? I can’t say for certain, but given the difficult and complicated world in which we all live, one simple answer for all tends to be kind of naive.

So, what do we do with our new perspectives? Does it solve all the world’s problems? Not really. However not all problems have to be solved. Not all problems affect everyone. If something I don’t agree with doesn’t necessarily affect me why do I need to force my view onto others? I think this is a common source of conflict in the world today.

Will being more considerate and agreeable make the world a better place? Probably. I do however think it would help reduce a lot of needless pain and suffering that we create for no real useful reason. The energy used to stoke these hateful fires could then be put to more productive means. So listen more, speak less, and think deeply before voicing an opinion.