I run across people, usually professors or professor wannabes that proclaim that they are absolutely open minded about life and therefore have no need to consider religion.
However, if we ignore a certain manner of thinking or persuasion based upon a negative reputation it has acquired for being narrow minded and oppressive, are we really open minded? Or are we being narrow minded in refusing to consider it?
Yes. In some circles, religion today has a reputation as bad as communism during Eugene McCarthy's purges in 1950's America.
The open-minded people of Finland at least are absolutely horrified to hear that someone is religious, doesn't drink alcohol or doesn't believe in pre-marital sex, even if that someone never said they think it's something everyone should be or do. There's a lot of things one can't be or do without upsetting all those open-minded people
Little Lotte thought of everything and nothing. Her hair was golden as the sun's rays and her soul as clear and blue as her eyes.
Gaston Leroux - The Phantom of the Opera
You have a point, anybody can be closed minded.
For me at least, I try not to become attached to any religious/philosophical system and be a silent observer. It's not a question of open-mindedness, it's a question of what works for you. Ideas of true or false seem so futile, and thus I accept all religions of the world in a non-participatory way.
Last edited by DanielBenoit; 10-02-2009 at 07:02 PM.
The Moments of Dominion
That happen on the Soul
And leave it with a Discontent
Too exquisite — to tell —
-Emily Dickinson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVW8GCnr9-I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckGIvr6WVw4
I consider myself very open minded...
As long as my belief system is not challenged.
~
"It is not that I am mad; it is only that my head is different from yours.”
~
Open minded is in the eye of the beholder. There are things to be open minded about and things not to be open minded. I would hope that no one is open minded about slavery or racism or pedophilia.Originally Posted by isidro
There many things that I am not open minded on and proud of it.
Hahaha! Kudos for that! Four stars for you my friend.The open-minded people of Finland at least are absolutely horrified to hear that someone is religious, doesn't drink alcohol or doesn't believe in pre-marital sex, even if that someone never said they think it's something everyone should be or do. There's a lot of things one can't be or do without upsetting all those open-minded people
LET THERE BE LIGHT
"Love follows knowledge." – St. Catherine of Siena
My literature blog: http://ashesfromburntroses.blogspot.com/
I wish I was as open minded as I could be. Sometimes I think I am and then some unkind friend tells me otherwise. So maybe I'm not.
I wonder if open minded for one is close minded for another - all relative? The golden rule seems more tangible.
here, here...
I am proud of you, Virgil! Bravo! And the rest of you are awesome! I appreicate all this commentary. And the silent observer I think is in some manner the epitome of open mindedness.
Scheherazade and Annamaria, you made me burst out laughing!
Wikipedia:Number 4 stands out for me. I have no desire for any of those things. If "new activities" means new books and movies and music, yes, but I'm not looking for new kinds of activities.Openness to experience is one of five major domains of personality discovered by psychologists. Openness involves active imagination, aesthetic sensitivity, attentiveness to inner feelings, preference for variety, and intellectual curiosity.
People who are open to experience are no different in mental health from people who are closed to experience. There is no relationship between openness and neuroticism, or any other measure of psychological wellbeing. Being open and closed to experience are simply two different ways of relating to the world.
The NEO PI-R personality test measures six facets or elements of openness to experience:
1. Fantasy - the tendency toward a vivid imagination and fantasy life.
2. Aesthetics - the tendency to appreciate art, music, and poetry.
3. Feelings - being receptive to inner emotional states and valuing emotional experience.
4. Actions - the inclination to try new activities, visit new places, and try new foods.
5. Ideas - the tendency to be intellectually curious and open to new ideas.
6. Values - the readiness to re-examine traditional social, religious, and political values.
Anyone who can commit to anything, it would seem, closes his mind - to be completely open minded, one must, ultimately, not think of anything categorically - in truth, one must break from all asumptions of discourse - in short, be a nihilist, without considering themself nihilistic.
Of course, the bigger things we decide on in life are really determining our open mindedness - nobody can be truly open minded, but to be in an aporia over religion, versus a definite belief in one thing over another is a good start - same with politics, and other modes of thought.
Take for instance Racism, that in itself is its own discourse, with its own rules, and own qualifications - one must assume and consider things within a racist mentality, and must conform to the categories of "being racist" - to be open minded then, you must really break with as many discourses as possible, or at least recognize them as being discourses, and therefore, mere bits of conversation.
As for religion, I don't think any "true" believer is open minded - to be that committed to one discursive mode of thought seems to me to be closed minded.
I really must wonder why Eryk is not interested in new activities. Any particular reason?
JBI, I agree to a certain extent except I believe that what you describe about being non committal is the first step in several, the next being that after you have opened your mind to just about everything, the next step in cultivating maturity is to do as Virgil described. After listening to all sides, decide then by logic and reason and your own conscience what proves real and substantial for yourself.
As a society we applaud open mindedness in the extreme, but is that what human beings entirely should be? If we commit to nothing, can we have personal stability in life? And what is more important to our happiness and the happiness of those around us - proving to the last detail that we are open minded, or standing up for what we believe in?
Thoughts?
I've just always been this way.
i try to be respectful to all beliefs and life styles... but as i get older, i find it harder and harder to be respectful to Christians. Of course i know not all christians are like this, but so many christians i have met are disrespectful of my beliefs and think of me as a lesser from the get go- i am destined for hell after all.
i am trying to stay steady and veer away from becoming some kind of christian hater... but ITS HARDDDD
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