Open mindedness

Open-mindedness

Some people proudly claim that they are open minded, open to a whole spectrum of new theories. However, no matter how open-minded you try to be, surely you will be inclined to dismiss the ridiculous. Is it productive to teach children in school the idea that there are two possibilities of where they came from; One being that they were conceived and carried in their mother’s womb or that they were carried in, hanging from the beak of a stork? A truly open-minded individual would regard the latter as being unworthy of any proper consideration because it cannot be substantiated in the same way as the former. You can witness the baby coming out, you can see the tummy get bigger and bigger, you can use a scanning machine to have a look. You can even watch a sperm make its way to an egg. Saying that we all arrive by virtue of a stork is a metaphor for countless other unlikely propositions.;

Young and eager we enter debates with enthusiasm. We strive to get our points across. Dismayed when people don’t fully understand what we are saying. One day we take a break. We listen. We hear but understand that all debates need not be won. Some people are not worth arguing with. Some people will work it all out by themselves. Despite the tedium we find the patience to carefully explain things to those that are misguided. Explain in such a way that it avoids causing offence. We reserve our energy for the debates that have greatest significance. We care far less whether people take on board what we say.