SIGNS OF BEING OPEN MINDED PERSON

joeysison (51)in #untalented • 7 years ago

In my previous post, I talked about what comes with having a “close mind”. I really appreciate your comments and inputs about it! This time, I will tackle the characteristics of a person with an “open-mind” in depth. What are the qualities one must possess to be considered “open-minded”?

For starters, I would like to remind everyone that being an open-minded person is not a sign of vulnerability but a sign of maturity in discerning the new things that life brings.

1 WE PURSUE TEACHABILITY

Source of picture: www.dreamsare4real.com

Being teachable is the highest level of open-mindedness, it is an attitude of knowing new things through the help of other people.

What I believe is that all open-minded people should continue two things throughout their lifetime – humility and teachability.
Unteachable man is condemned to being taught only by his own experience. The tragedy is that he/she is limited only to what he/she knows about things in life. “Wisdom is always on the other side of being teachable.”

The attitude of being teachable is the attitude of accepting that you cannot do things alone, you need the help of other people.

I remember the story of an unteachable man who chose to be alone and told the people around him that he can live alone without other people. But an old man said to him, “If you can live without us remove your clothes and make your own clothes.” The unteachable man said, “Sure, I will make my own clothes.” The old man said, “Oops, don’t use our silk. Make your own silk because we created that silk.” As the conversation went on, it turns out that he cannot create his needs on his own because everything required to make them is someone else’s creation. Lesson: we cannot live alone so be teachable and ask wisdom or help from others.

I like what Meister Eckhart said, “Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.”

Every single day allows us to seek ideas, input and even correction from others—because through them, our mind will have a broader and multi-layered perspective.

That leads us to the second sign.

2 WE POSSESS HUMILITY

Source of picture: https://www.bigquestionsonline.com/2014/11/04/what-are-different-dimensions-humility/

You will know if you have an open mind if you can accept your wrongs and perform the necessary actions to fix them. Accepting that you are wrong is not enough. You should resort to corrective measures to manage the damage. How does this apply in our everyday life?

If you are a student, being open-minded means doing concrete actions and making a sincere apology when a class activity fails because you didn’t quite do your part.

Suppose you are a young professional and you know that your colleagues are doing the right things while you on the other hand are committing errors. Being an open-minded employee means recognizing your mistakes with utmost humility as well as the effort of co-employees who are doing their tasks right.

If you are father, mother, spouse, son or daughter, humility plays a vital role in family bonding and in maintaining a high morale between each family member. Humility is a sign of having an open mind because you consider the correction of others, most especially from the important people in your life who rarely have a negative view of you.

We are doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do. Our humility will always improve our personality. If it is hard for you to say sorry, it shows that you are not an open minded person (please read this article https://steemit.com/untalented/@joeysison/how-to-know-if-you-are-close-minded-person-894ee4b884302)

3 WE BECOME UNDERSTANDABLE

Source of picture: http://www.aaronmead.net/aquinas-on-the-virtues-understanding/

“Mama used to say, you have to know someone a thousand days before you can glimpse her soul.” ― Shannon Hale,

Book of a Thousand Days. Have you ever been in the position wherein someone really understood your situation? It is great to spend time with those people who really appreciate the reality behind our reasons. A great sign of having an open mind is the ability to place ourselves to the shoes of other people. Acceptance and empathy are different from merely tolerance (soon we will talk about tolerating).

Have you ever been in a group of people who always notice your wrongdoings without first listening to the whole story? It is so hard to grow and live in that kind of atmosphere.

We may be living in a world full of lies, but it is our call to give our trust to the people around us.

I live by this principle, “always believe, but verify”.

After reading the 3 general signs of having an open mind, try to reflect on whether what you have read applies to you.

When younger person is teaching you something you don’t know yet, how do you feel about it?
When you know that you are wrong are you humble enough to admit it?
When was the last time you lent your ears and understand other’s situations?
How do you feel when other people understand your situation?
Can you identify some humble people in your circle? Are you ready to imitate him or her?
How do you feel about teachable people?

SIGNS OF BEING OPEN MINDED PERSON

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