BE A FREE THINKER

I believe in everyone retaining the rights to their own ideas, beliefs, processing methods, and dreams. In that, free thinking and open dialogue should be essential in preserving these rights. They should also be a pleasure and a point for personal growth and development for those engaging in such dialogue. However, this notion of collective individualism and free thinking has become a point of contingency impeding the very dialogue it should induce! This, unfortunately, comes from categorizing people into "open-minded" and "closed minded"groups.

Often times, people learn that I am a Christian. Either they have known me for a while and I share this fact with them or I tell them in initial greetings. After they have learned this fact, people begin to assess my behaviors in a different way. Generally what people tell me is "I can't believe you're a christian!" Or, "Wow, it's cool that you're so open minded." If they're christian, I usually hear "Its so nice to work with/be friends with someone who thinks like me/shares my values." While I am deeply flattered by these generous assessments, I also have been challenged by them.

The idea and principle of being open minded is wholesome and positive. I am all for it. I like to consider myself a free thinker. But the context in which the terms open and closed minded are used is what troubles me. People who call me "open minded" have an implicit attachment to the term "for someone who is religious." I can understand from a shallow analysis that religion has produced behaviors in poeple (in many cases) resembling group, limiteid thinking, behaviors that many attach "closed minded" to. But why has this idea of "closed minded" people been soley ascribed to those in religion?

Everyone, everyone on this planet has societal, market, communal, and political forces shaping and pushing their views on everything! Who can truly say that every decision they have made that shapes their worldview has been made after careful and equal analysis of all opposing veiwpoints, void of all environmental bias? Not one person can argue this.

With that being said, it is fair to conclude that everyone has a certain degree of personal bias and social influence that predisposes them to some ideas quicker than others. So what behavior must take place in order for an individual to be seen as open minded? Well, essentially what people want to see is an open communication channel on worldview and lifestyle decisions. This is demonstrated through conversation. If there are disagreements between two person's individual beliefs, ideally, what would happen would be for each person to listen to the other, discuss reasons for disagreement, and see if any value can be added or changed after this discussion to each person's worldviews.

In order to be open minded, a person should be resectful of all opinions and lifestyles of each individual. However those who associate themselves with the "open minded" are close minded to "close minded" individuals and are close minded in their treatment and dialogues with them! Issues like gay marriage, abortion, healthcare, religious freedom and the like are prime playgrounds for blame passing and judgement. For example, if someone has an opinion that abortion is wrong in all cases other than rape and incess, they are seen as "close minded" and are not given the chance to open up in dialogue with the person of a differing viewpoint.

Just because a person is religious does not mean they can't engage in fair, analytical inquiry of their opinions. Just because a person is not religious does not mean they are inheritantly openminded. Everyone has the capacity to accept and refute ideas at different levels of engagement and cognition.

SO. I propose something else for those of us who think ourselves to be openminded and free thinkers. Rather than using this description to label, segregate, and judge others, we should use it to assess ourselves. If you truly want to be open minded, you must first decide, not necessicarily that everyone's opinions and reasons thusly are valid, but that every human being is valid. Every person you come in contact with is an individual, a member of humanity, and should be treated as someone worth value. Even on a basic human level- regardless of how irrational a person may seem- they are to be valued. After all, if you're the open minded one, you should be the one who can accept their differences and realize that they are part of the same species as you.

If you are able to treat people with this decent acceptance level, you should then be able to recognize their opinions and differences as learning oppertunites that help create value and meaning in your own life. If you are open minded, then every new person and disagreement should be readily welcomed as a chance to learn something from someone else. I'm not saying that you go out and immediately strike up conversation with people about heated topics every chance you get. I'm saying that you should embrace these conversations as they come into you're life.

No, its not easy. Yes, some people will get on your nerves. But the key to having an open mind is not trying to change others, its learning where they're coming from. Learn the congition processes and environmental forces shaping their worldview. Most importantly, being open minded means listening! Be a good listener. Let people speak. You don't have to agree with everything they're saying, you just have to show them that you respect them as a human being, and that you care enough about their opinion to hear what they have to say. Then, you may start to see people opening up their minds and show you what's working behind them. Prove people wrong! Show them love and caring they would never imagine in the world of debate and then you will not only start to see more clarity in your own lign of thought, but you will help the wheels start to turn in the minds of whom you listen.

If they don't want to hear your opinion, fine. That is their own choice. But respect them anyways. Know that as an open minded person, you are secure enough in your own reasoning that you don't need to superimpose it on all who disagree with you. If the thought of engaging in dialogue with people "way different" and "way too religious" for you is revolting, well, maybe you're not as open minded as you think. Being open minded is about releasing your pride and contempt for people of the world and discovering new life and expansive ideas that infuse meaning into your own line of thought. It is an exciting journey and process, but should never be used as a term to degrade and condemn others.

We aren't living in a world of open minded and closed minded thinkers. We're living in a world of people with brains and hearts and the oppertunity to discover and share them.