How to Keep an Open Mind

No one particularly likes to have their views challenged—to be told they don’t see things clearly or have the full picture. And when someone, like a friend, neighbor, co-worker, journalist, or podcast host disagrees with our way of thinking, it’s natural to get a bit defensive. It’s easy to think we are right, and someone else’s perceptions and ways of being are wrong. But the tighter we clench our jaws and fists, the more we restrict our ability to connect and expand both our views and our connections. Open-mindedness is related in part to intellectual humility, recognizing one’s own imperfections as a knower, and appreciating others’ thinking strengths. When we only stay within our comfortable social media algorithms and tight in-person circles, we can get stuck in echo chambers, reinforcing what we already think we know. While this can provide identity and a sense of belonging, it can limit our exposure to new experiences. In this way, it is in our best interest to be willing to listen to different points of view, to fully hear someone else’s perspective before flinging verdicts on their intellect or integrity or viewing them as uninformed and biased.Even reading this suggestion...