Benefits of an Open Mind
By
Vicki Hinze
People need ideas. And inspiration. Both require an open mind. Both require critical thinking, analysis, and a willingness to see not one but both sides of any coin.
That isn’t to say you must agree or disagree. It is to say that you must do your best to hear and listen, and to strive to objectively see all sides of a given thing, issue, or situation.
Total objectivity is an impossibility, of course. We all develop mindsets early on, and when we approach the table to look at anything with objectivity, we don’t suddenly leave thosse mindsets behind. They come with us because they are a part of us.
Yet we can be aware that those mindsets are ours. That they might color our perspective or our view. And that inspires us to attempt to give lesser weight to aspects of things in which we hold bias.
That isn’t a license to ignore them, to rubber stamp them, or to ignore the impact that our predispositions hold. It is a warning to us to make a conscious effort to substantiate our positions, our conclusions.
It’s incredibly important—critically important, actually—to know what we believe and why we believe it. Without the why, we lack conviction. Without knowing what we believe… Well, we fall for anything. We follow the paths of those who have come before us blindly. And a blindly followed pathway leads to destruction of the unique individuality infused in each of us. Why?
Because we forfeit understanding ourselves, understanding that which we blindly follow. We accept for unknown reasons that which someone else suggests or insists we believe. That never ends well for the individual.
An open mind means we challenge. Things. Issues. Beliefs. Ourselves. It means we seek to prove and to disprove. To understand not just the big picture but the subtlities of any given thing. When we do, the end result is that we know what we believe and why we believe it. Knowledge is power. We are confident in our decision and convicted.
That’s the benefit of an open mind.
Sometimes we’ll challenge a belief and at the end of our journey, it remains steadfast. We enjoy the benefit of knowing the belief was tested and withstood the challenge.
Sometimes we’ll challenge a belief and discover something during our journey that alters or changes our belief. At the end of the journey, we enjoy the benefit of knowing we challenged and tested the belief and discovered some new insight or gem of wisdom that brought us closer to the truth.
And sometimes we’ll challenge a belief and neither prove nor disprove anything. We might be okay with that, or we might feel as if we’re still sitting on the fence with the doubts or concerns that made us challenge the belief still unresolved. In that situation, our doubt and concern is simply a signal to us that we need to keep searching, keep exploring, keep digging for truths that settle our concerns and doubts and to keep our mind open to all possibilities.
At times, an open mind is uncomfortable. It demands we look at things differently, accept things we’d rather not. It challenges back, forces us to see truths we don’t want to see. But the point to always remember is this: Truth is truth. It never stays hidden because being hidden is more comfortable for that which it opposes. Under camouflage, buried, or disguised doesn’t change it. Truth remains. And truth prevails.
We’ve all heard the old saying about sunlight being the best disinfectant. We’ve heard the saying that in the end, the truth will win. What we might not have heard is that the only way to find the truth and not be blindsided by it is to have an open mind…and to use it.
No matter how uncomfortable or odd or strange, seek and discover the truth. Truth has been and always will be the route to freedom. It is where wisdom resides. Where hope and faith reside. Do you reside there? You can, if you so choose, by claiming the benefits of an open mind.
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© 2017, Vicki Hinze. Vicki Hinze is the award-winning bestselling author of nearly thirty novels in a variety of genres including, suspense, mystery, thriller, and romantic or faith-affirming thrillers. Her latest release is The Marked Star. She holds a MFA in Creative Writing and a Ph.D. in Philosophy, Theocentric Business and Ethics. Hinze’s website: www.vickihinze.com;. Facebook;. Books;. Twitter;. Contact.; Subscribe; to Vicki’s Monthly Newsletter! gab
Note: Due to changes on Twitter Terms of Service, I will be posting instead on GAB. The url for me there is: http://gab.ai/vickihinze. Kindly note that those posts are political and issue-based commentary as well as general interest posts.
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NOTE:
For a limited time only, Smart Women and Dangerous Men, the cross-genre collection of five complete novels by five bestselling authors is in a holiday set for $0.99. The authors are: Debra Webb, Vicki Hinze, Peggy Webb, Regan Black and Kathy Carmichael. Stories are sweet to spicy. Mine is a clean read.
This is an Amazon Exclusive Collection. You can find it HERE
Blessings,
Vicki
