Being open-minded is, traditionally, about acknowledging thepossibilityof an idea being true or false.
Thankfully, you’re able to be open-minded but still retain critical thought, but it takes work.
Challenging Our Beliefs Makes Our Preconceptions Stronger
Nobody wants to hear that theyre wrong.
When someone challenges your beliefs, youshouldtake that new information and reassess how you feel.
Yet, the reverse is usually true.
When were challenged with new information, it just makes our preexisting belief stronger.
This is called thebackfire effect.
Id venture a guess that nobody bothers to read a single one of those links past the headline.
Our preconceptions challenge our ability to take in new information.
This makes it hard to keep an open mind to new ideas.
The haters, of course, felt quite the opposite.
This happens independent of the tone of an article.
Sadly, theres not a lot we can actually do here to fix this.
Because of that, were arguablymoreclose-minded about an issue that doesnt directly impact us.
Student loan debt is the simplest example of this.
Every candidatehas a stance on excessive student loan debtand some semblance of a plan to deal with it.
Its also probably one of your big arguments for a particular candidate over another.
Or maybe youre more keen onClintons plan to offer refinancingat a lower interest rate.
In that case, student loans may not be on their radar at all.
In fact, it might be such a non-issue that theyre baffled by why its a major talking point.
Its really hard to see both points of view at the same time.
If the interest alone on your debt is higher than the loan itself, it justmakes senseto offer refinancing.
The fact is, when we talk about issues that directly effect us we often have a self-serving outlook.
Its difficult to take yourself out of the equation and think about the greater good.
Lets be honest for a second: Most of us dont ever actually do that.
Sure, a lot of us might take the time to watch an opposing sides debate.
People like watching Trump do Trump because its entertaining.
If you agree with him, youll rally behind him.
If not, its a great excuse to yell at the TV.
Listen, I agree, its fun to yell at the TV.
Its fun to get angry and go on some rant about some political ideology.
Most of us dont read an opposing viewpoint with the idea it could be true or false.
The best solution for this problem is to keep your mouth shut and listen to an opposing view.
Dont react, dont poke holes.
Before you fight back with your opinions, take some time and just sit on that new idea.
The fact is, it is astounding difficult to go into a political conversation with an open mind.
Heck, its hard on simpler levels.
I can only hope thats enough.
Illustration by Jim Cooke.
