Are You "Open-Minded"?

I'd like to think I'm open minded -- and I have been open to many possibilities -- or maybe I was just gullible.
 

SifuPhil said:
I would think it would be practically impossible to be TOTALLY open-minded on everything - we're just not built that way, and we're exposed to too many strong early influences.
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I think the question could also be framed "Are you fixed or flexible in your attitudes and opinions?"
Most of us would answer "A bit of both, but more often I am ..."
 
Open mindedness may be better served by the term consciousness. The main question in our existence is if mind created matter or matter created mind. Did the consious look at itself and matter condense or the other way around. The first is an idea concept the second s material concept. The growth of consious is the reflection of our evolution. You are probably more open minded (raised consious) than your grand parents. Now take that concept and move back 1000 generations. The stars in the original Trojan war did not speak with a British accent. The bad side is we became more materialistic. The good side is that each individual can have God inside them without the need of someone owning the staircase to heaven.
To assume that one culture is more consious because of materialism is a bad mistake. He who has the most toys does does not necessarily win.
 
Josiah09 said:
Open mindedness suggests a willingness to consider new ideas and and replace your original idea for a new one. I've changed my opinion on countless topics countless times, and because I've admitted to being wrong so many times, I've learned to be exceedingly skeptical of all ideas knowing that quite likely what I believe today I may not believe tomorrow. This variability in my belief system is not haphazard. . . I'm just adjusting my opinions to best comply with what I understand to be reality. When I do hit upon an idea which does seem to agree with reality I stick with it. I've been an atheist since the age of 14 but if God came into my house today and performed a few simple miracles to prove who he was I stop being an atheist. I'm open minded God you just need to give me a good reason to believe in you.
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I was thinking about this last night Josiah, the open-mindedness thing, and I realized what I think it means. Being close-minded to me, is NOT to learn, being open-minded is to be teachable. Depending on whether I think I know everything there is to know about something (and that means I'm just not being honest with myself, and maybe incapable) which hopefully slaps me in the face and tells me "you don't know everything, yet" LOL! If I am open-minded, it fits your post perfectly, willing to learn something new which could change my entire opinion on that subject;) I realized I love learning, had a blast going back to college, I never want to lose the ability to learn something.
 
I think I'm open minded. My home town is Santa Cruz, California. And one thing I found out living there for the first 25 years of my life: some people who think they are open minded and may look open minded are some of the most narrow jerks I've ever come across.
 
Kitties said:
I think I'm open minded. My home town is Santa Cruz, California. And one thing I found out living there for the first 25 years of my life: some people who think they are open minded and may look open minded are some of the most narrow jerks I've ever come across.
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I've seen that too Kitties, especially among those who consider themselves highly aware.
 
ClassicRockr said:
I really didn't realize just how open-minded So California was until I got out of the Navy there. Found out, fairly quickly, that I wasn't raised to be that open-minded at all. Actually, most farmer and ranchers aren't that way. Some folks would actually tell me, "you just aren't open-minded enough to live here" and I really believed them. The more I seen and heard, I knew I wasn't.

And even today, I know that I'm not that much, if any. I just don't believe in certain things that others believe in. My wife knows that I'm this way and completely understands why and in many way, is the same way. From being around the rodeo family, she really came to understand how I got this way and why my step-parents taught me to be this way. Seems to me that a lot of "big city" folks are really open-minded, compared to folks that own/run farms/ranches. There is a distinct difference between the two cultures. I'm proud to be a former farmer! Even when I played rock drums, the whole "sex, drugs, rock n roll" thing wasn't me. All I could think of after playing a gig, was......."somebody get me a beer/Bud, QUICK! Dang I'm thirsty!"

So, just how open-minded are you?
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I feel like I'm somewhat open minded but for the most part things are in black and white with me. I have trouble maneuvering in those grey areas. But I'm usually pretty open to change most of the time. As for some of the world's morals...that not so much. I have my own belief system and it doesn't line up with today's perversities. I try to always listen and take everything into consideration before deciding how I feel about stuff.
 
Open-mindedness is a positive character trait... to be able to step out of your comfort zone and consider other ideas and perspectives, the ability to welcome new ideas, arguments, and information is extremely important. Yes…I consider myself open-minded.
 
I don't know anymore. Open-minded and wishy-washy share a lot of the same territory these days. People without any convictions consider themselves to be open-minded yet they tend to become offended easily. I don't think I'm open-minded, but I could be wrong.
 
Warrigal said:
I think the question could also be framed "Are you fixed or flexible in your attitudes and opinions?"
Most of us would answer "A bit of both, but more often I am ..."
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I would agree and think that's a good way to phrase it. Personally, I try to be open to taking in new information and being able to change or alter my views and opinions based on that. Otherwise, you're just stuck in your way of thinking without ever adapting and I think that's a dangerous way to live life.
 

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