An open mind is a good thing, most of the time. New ideas, new experience, increased knowledge, personal and professional growth, better relationships, and an overall positive approach to life are just some of the benefits of having an open mind. However, there are some pitfalls. Like an open window or open door that bugs can enter the house through, an open mind is susceptible to trash, garbage, lies and deception, misinformation and wrong direction. An open mind, like an open window, needs a screen to keep the bugs out. The mental screen is called “discrimination.” It is an attribute that everyone has. Discrimination is the ability to see differences. Like any tool, discrimination can be used wisely or foolishly, for better or worse. Unless we want our open minds to be filled with all sorts of nonsense, we must learn to differentiate between what is of genuine value and what is rubbish. It could be said that our discriminatory capacity is like an email spam filter. We can configure the parameters to filter the garbage and let in the useful information. Generally, what is important to us is considered useful and passes. What is important for you? An open mind, with a screen to keep bugs out or a spam filter to block out the junk, is a wonderful thing.
The open mind is also susceptible to a lack of conviction. Too many conflicting ideas can enter an open mind and cause indecision. It is necessary from time to time to close the mind, not allow more entry, make a decision and act. Perhaps more important than having an open mind is having a mind that is capable of being open or closed. We need a mind that is hinged, well lubricated and in good working order. The hinges of our mind is our ability to decide. We can decide to accept or reject information. We can decide to consider a point of view or not. We can decide to open or close the window. A house would become cold and drafty if the doors and windows could not be closed from time to time. But, it would be terribly stuffy if they couldn’t be opened. We simply decide to open or close the window, or the mind. But, our decision must be made from intelligence and reason, not from emotional reactions. An emotionally reactive person would likely open doors and windows during a blizzard or close their minds to beneficial information.
It is the closed mind that claimed in the late 1870s that the telephone was too flawed to be seriously considered as a communication device or in the early 1970s that no one would want a computer in their home. Charles Duell, the Commissioner of the US Patent Office in 1899 said: “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” In 1981, Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that “640K should be enough for anyone.” Even the most visionary person can close their mind to possibilities. Perhaps it takes a little more effort to keep an open mind, just as smiling requires a little more muscle movement. But the results of a smile are often rewarding, and the fruits of an open mind can be very enriching. Despite the predictions of the “experts” quoted above, it appears that the mind will strive to be open and will move on to new experiences hitherto thought to be inaccessible or unattainable.
Ultimately, the drawbacks of an open mind can be addressed and the pros of an open mind are too important to ignore. As Charles Kettering, the American engineer and inventor, said: “Where there is an open mind, there will be a frontier.” Living as we do on the brink of global catastrophes, we need a border. We need a vision of a better future and a path to that future. For that, we will need an open mind.
