Open mindedness

I frequently hear people say that their opinions will change for the better if they are open minded. Personally, I feel that open mindedness works both ways.

To me, open mindedness is about limiting preconceived notions and outside influence as much as possible. This means that you can’t hate something just because you you expect to hate it. Similarly, you can’t like something just because you expect to like it.

There is some validity to some of the comments people make about open mindedness. A lot of times, we see that someone hasn’t given something a fair chance. If they open their minds, there is a good chance that their opinions can change. Personally, I feel schooling is a good example of this.

People who dislike schooling are viewed as unintelligent. People want to be viewed as intelligent. Most people feel that if they like the process, they will look good in the eyes of others. As a result, an overwhelming majority of the population mindlessly accepts the views that schooling is vital. If people looked at the schools with an open mind instead of taking education for granted, they would likely see the mentally destructive components and be far less supportive.

Notice how my views of open mindedness didn’t match the typical arguments. Instead of saying people will like something, I’m saying people would stop liking something.

I really don’t like to overuse of comments regarding open mindedness. Most of these comments are attempts to sway opinions with little to no legitimate basis. People like to put themselves in a positive light. While they like to think they are intelligent, they also like to think that they are open minded. Some people exploit this. They insist that if you are open minded, you will agree with them. A lot of people will change their opinions to prove that they are open minded.

Let’s go back to my comments about schooling. Notice that I said that I expect that open mindedness would reduce overall support for the schools. Also notice that I didn’t specifically say that you will stop supporting the schools if you look at the process with an open mind. I don’t want anyone to assume that I’m right. I want people to look at the process with a truly open mind.

A lot of posts on this blog and my education blog are meant to point out what you might be missing. Hopefully, people who see these problems will reevaluate their views. There’s nothing wrong with updating your opinions as you find more information. What I don’t ever want to see is someone blindly following my comments. This world has a lot of problems. Mindlessly accepting what we’re told is what got us into this mess. I certainly don’t want to contribute to those problems.