Brianna Wiest,The Pivot Year
We are an amalgam of qualities.
Humanity is fluid in this way.
Sometimes, however, we get lost in ourselves.
Ave Calvar
Our own personal worlds become so small and important that we forget what else is out there.
We become the center of our own personal universe and we define our own definitive truths.
We form opinions and become steadfast in them.
Who can blame us?
We only know of one life, one perspective.
Whats just as important as focusing on bettering ourselves is focusing on bettering our ability to connect with others.
And thats where open-mindedness comes in.
Open-mindedness is the single most important characteristic we have as human beings.
But open-mindedness is a muscle.
Since we have been indoctrinated since birth with everything we currently know, it involves practice.
And it may not come with age.
Open-mindedness takes time, energy, and patience.
When I became a college freshman two and a half years ago, I experienced this very phenomenon.
But for some reason, this thought didnt cross my mind.
I became angry and pejorative, and it felt awful.
Despite it all, though, I loved these people.
I was so set in my beliefs.
Living in my own head became exhausting.
Why couldnt I be as carefree and accepting as everyone around me?
Why did I care so much about what these people are doing, listening to, engaging in?
Who was I to judge someone on how they live their life?
Who was I to assume that everybody had been brought up under similar influences and values as I had?
I am somebody with my own Normal.
Being open-minded is relaxing.
But you must remember that an unexercised open-mindedness muscle is not your fault.
It is not naivety.
It is not ignorance.
This is why it takes practice.
Open-mindedness does not mean that you must change who you are.
Open-mindedness is a level of understanding that goes beyond a simple Oh, I see.
It involves the steadiness in your tone and the patience in your demeanor.
Open-mindedness doesnt even mean that you agree with something.
And, sometimes, open-mindedness means that no final verdict can ever exist.
