Isn't being TOO open minded a bad thing for us?

Question

It seems to me that liberals are TOO open minded, and Yes, me the conservative is somewhat closed minded, But that for a good reason, its not because I want to oppress others, it has to do with self respect, self dignity, and self control. So to me, one that is TOO open minded in those (self's) that I listed, is not anything but self righteousness.

Answer 1

Why is being open-minded a bad thing? Some of the greatest minds throughout history have been open-minded "think outside the box" people from religious leaders, to business man, to politicians. Being open-minded means being able to see things from different angles and open to ideas, suggestions and actions. Not to mention open-mindedness results in more tolerance and acceptance of people for their differences. I don't see any down-side to being open-minded.

Answer 2

You might have a point. That is why I like to hover around the center. I am open minded but there are things I have decided to be less open about. While my own conviction is pro life I also believe it is not my business to tell a woman what she can do with her body or her fetus.

The problem is not those with somewhat open or closed minds but with the extremists on both ends of the spectrum with totally closed minds. A conservative with an open mind is a good thing and so is a liberal with an open mind. Unfortunately there are some lately whose minds are not at all open.

Let us not confuse perspective with an open or closed mind. While the narrower one's perspective is the more apt he is to have a closed mind it doesn't in and of itself mean he can't be open to new concepts or aspects regarding an issue just harder. For one who is very open minded it may be difficult for him to decide on a stand to take and not flip flop or be wishy washy on every little change in the direction of the wind. One with a broad perspective may, if too broad, become confused not knowing what to believe or which way is right. So a middle of the road approach seems to be the best way to look at things.

Answer 3

I don't think anyone can be too open minded, or that it would necessarily be a bad thing....The problem is we have a society that loves to congratulate themselves on how open minded they are and leave it at that...as if being able to imagine the wheel were the same thing as climbing in the Blue Flame and breaking the land speed record.

I do, however, believe that there is such a thing as being TOO tolerant...If we can recognize all things, but are unable to make any sort of valid moral judgements about them, then we are lost.

For example, a person could have an extremely high tolerance to pain. Pain is the way our bodies warn us of impending harm...So the guy can keep his hand pressed against a hot skillet longer than I can, but his failure to recognize the warning does not diminish the actual damage being done.

Answer 4

I suppose in the wrong context it can be. There are open minded people who believe in all they hear and accept that as fact. Im pretty open minded myself... however, I am OPEN to listening to what everyone has to say so long as they are willing to listen to me. That does not mean that we need to agree on anything, rather we can have a better understanding of eachother any why we feel/think the way we do about certain topics. No two people think exactly the same, so in order to understand others as human beings we have to listen. Our backgrounds the way we were raised and and our personal eperiances all lead to the way we think. So to answer your question... yes and no. It all depends on the person and what their personal definition of "open minded" really is. This is a good thought hun... good luck and Happy Holidays!

Answer 5

Everyone has a right to be closed minded, but only to a point.

If you believed that blacks are inferior to whites and refused to change your mind? That is not acceptable.

If you believe that women are inferior to men and refused to see that, that would also be unacceptable.

There are places where the lines are drawn and if you cross those lines, that's that. No longer is your view a mere idiosynchracy. It's a form of bigotry.

It's the same for religious beliefs. If you want to be a steadfast Christian, great! I know some very good ones. I know some awful ones, too. The good ones understand things that are based on thinking past Jesus' teachings but using his teachings as the yardstick. And they know that living side by side with people who have a different faith than you do is not only what Jesus taught, but it's essential for peace and harmony. If you go past that and try to discriminate based on this, then you are wrong.

Answer 6

The question reminded me of the old one-line zinger - don't open your mind so far that your brain falls out.

Being too open-minded would lead to being indiscriminate. We have to evaluate things to make good choices.

It isn't a left or right thing. I've seen people on the right who would accept almost any behavior if the behavior were labeled "religious," when a bit more scrutiny would be well used. I've seen people on the left allow behaviors that are clearly destructive because it's "not my life so I'm not going to judge." Well, if it is AROUND my life and the lives of my children, I have a right to evaluate and chose to include or exclude the behavior.

If you smoke around my infant, you will be escorted to the door, for example. You can smoke outside if you want, but I'm not that open-minded when it comes to my children.

Answer 7

I think it depends on what you define as too "open-minded." If loving people regardless if I agree with their actions or not and not playing god in someones life is too "open-minded," then I am guilty as charged. If you are talking about the decline of society because of hate and judgementalism being the answer to fix too much "open-mindedness" than I disagree with being conservative like that. If we can agree to disagree and understand that everyone has their own experiences that formulate their philosophies on life. We all need to respect that. No one can pretend to know how to live someones life better than them. I think it is okay for someone to be more conservative as much as it is okay for someone to be liberal so long as both sides respect each others place in life!

Answer 8

I think you have to be some what open minded in order to make changes for the better. That does not mean you can't stand by your principles. The world changes all the time and I feel like Democrats are more willing to except those changes. Not all changes are bad. We need free open mined thinkers. That is the mother of all inventions.

Answer 9

I think we just have to admit we need each other. There have been liberals and conservatives from the dawn of civilization.

We need people to be creative and innovative, and to drive us forward.

We need people to be logical and make sure things don't change too fast.

To be creative you HAVE to be somewhat on the edge of reality. People like me need people who are logical and analytical to keep us from spinning out into oblivion. People who are logical would never see any improvement or change without us. (Thats why I married a man's man..trust me it works).

Politics is the way it is for a reason. Party lines appeal to personalities and keep us divided. We spend all of this time arguing ideologies and hardly any looking at real issues. Look closely and essentially both parties work in different ways to achieve the same goal...profit.

Answer 10

No, one can not be too open minded. I consider all aspects of a question, and then I decide.

However, we can certainly be too tolerant. By allowing people to do whatever they want, with no consequences (except to other people, and society in general), we are helping people damage themselves.

For example, allowing a small child to run around a busy restaurant, yelling and screaming, is too tolerant. Yet I see such behavior, because the adults in charge of that child are wrong minded, but not open minded.

Make sense?

Answer 11

Well, ok. I do see a point there.

I am glad you are aware of self-dignity. Too many in todays GOP are not. Not all liberals are the same and some are aware of just that because of past dealings with cults or ultraconservative family members.

The difference you are speaking of may point to one's interpretation of the Constitution, something the Bush Administration has disregarded.