Having a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing sounds easy until you think about how much conditioning has taken place in your life, and how many of your current thoughts were influenced by geography, the religious beliefs of your ancestors, the color of your skin, the shape of your eyes, the political orientation of your parents, your size, your gender, the schools that were selected for you, and the vocation of your great-grandparents, to list only some possibilities. You showed up here as a tiny infant capable of an infinite number of potentialities. Many of your choices remain unexplored because of a hopefully well-intentioned conditioning program designed to make you fit the culture of your caretakers. You probably had next to no opportunity to disagree with the cultural and societal arrangements made for your life.
There may have been some adults who encouraged you to have an open mind, but if you’re honest with yourself, you know that your philosophy of life, your religious beliefs, your manner of dress, and your language are a function of what your tribe (and its heritage) determined was right for you. If you made any fuss about going against this preordained conditioning, you probably heard even stronger voices insisting that you get back in line and do things the way they have “always been done.” Fitting in superseded having a mind that was open to new ideas.
If your parents were Jewish, it’s unlikely that you were raised to honor and respect the Muslim religion, and vice versa. Whatever the reasons our ancestors may have had for not having open minds, it’s true that they inhabited a much less populated world than we do. In today’s overpopulated world, we simply cannot continue to live with those old styles of closed mindedness.
To open your mind to all possibilities, to resist any efforts to be pigeonholed, and to refuse to allow pessimism into your consciousness. Having a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing seems to me to be one of the most basic principles that you can adopt to contribute to individual and world peace.
True. And i realized just now how a simple punctuation marks*/and an exlamation point* can ruin a rather simple sentence that made out of a simple joke that was in mind . And how friendships on this crazy medium holds nothing to ones mind ... it doesn't create strong a bond. Unliked friendship that builds on a face to face basis.
ReplyDelete.... or i am just being closed-minded and getting old, or the friends on the other end of the line. Good eves ...
tight hugs:)
Friendships does build and does hold bonds Maritess...
ReplyDeleteI am just teasing you a bit Jack, and wait how would you react ... we are friends and nothing can beat that ...
ReplyDeleteAnd friendships hold no bars even if one is a moslem ... christian or whatever. Peace, Love and Harmony to all.
God's blessings .love and hugs :)
"The narrow mind rejects; wisdom accepts."
ReplyDelete- Lama Thubten Yeshe
Everyone is different, even those who share the same principles and morals have differences. Its about acceptance .... and ridding oneself of ego. No man is better than another ... each has his own journey to travel through and how he travels it is entirely up to him. Eventually we all get there ~smile~ .....
how very true ..world peace ..and personal..Peace too:).one of my blogs ..commences.."the mind is like a Parachute..
ReplyDeleteThis is tied to the theme of absolute liberty on which I have posted. We cannot be truly free until we free ourselves from all kinds of prejudice. We cannot find the creative ways that are necessary to build a better world if we never vary from what has always been done. This freedom, not only of the mind, but also in our hearts (love one another), is part of the divine nature we were given and are called to restore. (See The Revelation of Arès)
ReplyDeleteLove the quote!
ReplyDeleteCaroline, I never thought of things within this manner. If and when you can expand on this I certainly would appreciate it...
ReplyDeleteDJ do you have the link if I may request please do post the link if your comfortable with doing so.
ReplyDeleteJust a request :)
"Open to everything, and attached to nothing!" I love this statement.....very powerful!
ReplyDeleteTo a large degree, our childhood role models influenced how we began to think, and how we began to perceive the world around us. For example, whether they meant to or not, some of us may have had been influenced by our parent’s insecurities, prejudices, and, perhaps even their failures.
Thankfully, those that we meet along the way from childhood into adulthood (teachers, mentors, friends, etc) can help guide us to a greater sense of self-awareness, and, even teach us how to open up our hearts and minds to the endless possibilities that await us. We learn to view the world from many different perspectives. Yes, our childhood helps to form us, but it does not define us.
If you have an open heart, you can achieve an open mind.
Great blog, Jack! Thank you!
"If you have an open heart, you can achieve an open mind." ......love this quote as well as the content! While I am doing my wash :)
ReplyDeleteOh, so this is the link you would like.
ReplyDeletehttp://djdx.multiply.com/tag/freedom
Thank you....(hugs).
ReplyDelete