Open Minded

What does it mean to be closed minded? it seems to me that people nowadays use it as rebuttal for why the other person doesn't believe in what they believe in. "Why are you so closed minded?" People are using this term incorrectly. Well first of all, what does it mean to be closed minded? To me when someone is closed minded they are not willing to listen to another persons view of the matter. I think this is about the same as the public's view of the what it means to be closed minded. Well anyways, so that is it's definition. Why does it matter that it is being misused? Well it matters in a sense that it is harmful to the conversation. If you call someone closed minded and they don't feel they are being closed minded, then you have a disconnect. It isn't being closed minded if the person you are talking to totally rejects what you are saying. In any case, what you are saying can be totally wrong, totally right, or somewhere in the middle. This allows room for some disbelief. This is not in any sense the persons unwillingness to listen to you, or their closed mindedness. I would call this, if anything, self confident. I would say you are closed minded if you, when i'm about to tell you my opinion, you cover your ears and start screaming.

I think many people view open mindedness as the aspect of "respecting" another person's opinion about something. There is so many things i could say that is wrong about this. haha i was just about to write two different things at the same time. First of all, is taht really waht open mindedness means? The dictionarys definition of open minded is to be receptive to new ideas and opinions of others. That means that you are willing to receive the information. It means in no sense that you are willing to adhere to their beliefs. What if I choose not to respect the other persons opinion, does that make me less "open minded?" no, course not. It just means that I believe in my view concerning the matter more than i believe in what yours is.

Many people are proud of being open minded but if you align it with the general consesus' belief of what being open minded means than it's deadly wrong. If i were to "respect" a murderer's belief that killing females is okay, is that right? I don't think so. We should be opinionated. So being open minded should mean that we are capable of receiving other people's opinion; doesn't mean we have to believe in it.

Hopefully this makes sense. Im tired. Night peoples!