INQUIRY: Being open minded or closed minded - benefit/risk
Occasionally on Gene Moves, an inquiry will be brought to light and explored. Such inquiry as reflection on the world and the corresponding parts of that (like each of our unique and important yet small-in-the-grand-scheme lives).
Due to the rapid expansion of social media, there are vastly exposed lifestyles, perspectives, ideas, information and intelligence shared to mostly everyone with internet connection. Because of this influx, there are so many ways we have also developed to block out excess information - this decided whether it was just not relevant or because we wanted to resist it. It is not inherently bad to block ideas and information, but the complete denial of what seems opposing to us creates alot of tension in the mind. In the same way humans fought over opposing possession materially, mentally, spiritually, even emotionally (see the Iliad and circumstances as common as a bar fight), these days we “fight” information online that opposes our viewpoints.
This is again not inherently bad, but just makes me ask the question: can we see past divisions of information, lifestyles, perspectives and experiences? Can humans see our common ground? Could being open minded actually mean you are more vulnerable to others plotting your downfall? I think there are cases where yes, we will find common ground, and yes we will be vulnerable if we are too open minded. But there are also cases where no may be the answer, and that is how complex these things are. To someone else there may be cases where this really has little relevance as a question!
My contemplation of late in this area has been to be aware of the complex, mysterious, organizing principles underlying everything - as the Greeks named it, the Logos - while not being naive to bandwagon type thinking or acting. To simply be contemplative and deliberate in my actions and perceptions of others always gives me more benefit and seeing how the world benefits all synergistically, over time, and inevitably, through challenges. It seems to be the case that when I am not really open or focused on what patterns life brings, this Logos, that in those times of a more closed-minded nature, I see more of the harmfulness of things.
It is important to reconcile for the harmfulness of things just as it is for the benefit. But I think the way we look at the beneficial nature of life requires a longer term view than simply the present moment. It is in that way, we come to see how things best interlock in their respective systems.
Can we always choose to see benefit and work with that or will we come to be more pessimisstic inevitably? Well, if we can ask this question, I think we can certainly decide on the benefits, at least more often than not. And we may also observe that the pessimism actually serves the optimism.
At the end of the day, these are all suggestions, investigations into what seems to be true, much of the time.
