In today’s world, seeing things two dimensionally can be easy. It is difficult to acknowledge the gray, middle areas of life when everyone is telling you to see things in one of two specific ways. In the chaos of the world, it’s important to discover and acknowledge the nuances that exist in all areas of life.
Having a closed mindset and not being open to new ideas can be dangerous. In contrast, having an open mindset creates opportunities for continuous personal growth, greater problem-solving skills and stronger relationships. An open mindset can help you embrace and create new perspectives, reduce bias, raise emotional intelligence, minimize conflict and boost creativity.
Everyone has their own opinion and sees various things differently. Although some people may be more opinionated and headstrong than others, it’s important to be non-judgemental or degrading.
“Sit down with someone and try to understand why they feel the way they do about a certain thing and ask, ‘Deep down, why do you think this?’ and try to understand,” senior Tammi Petmezas said.
If you do not take the time to try and understand where someone is coming from, even if you do not agree, you are not really listening. You should learn something new from each conversation, whether it is about a person, a controversial topic or your beliefs.
Being knowledgeable on a variety of topics is essential to avoid black-and-white thinking and to help you comprehend the nuance that shapes reality. Exposing yourself to multiple viewpoints, cultures and pieces of information breaks down polarized patterns. It’s crucial to form your own opinions and to not only see, hear or listen to the pushed opinions from others onto you.
You should embrace your place in the world and not be afraid to voice your opinions. It’s boring and unhealthy to be and think exactly like your neighbor. Having your own opinions is necessary for self-identity and confidence. Unique opinions allow one to develop their own strong beliefs and invite new conversations. The ability to critically think on your own makes room for personal growth and also benefits society by allowing for new perspectives and viewpoints.
“Being open to a variety of information, whether that’s within friendships or through the acquisition of information in the news, is incredibly pertinent,” social studies teacher Jack Jordan said. “Because when we are taking in information from a singular stream, it becomes very believable, and it’s hard to break out of that bubble.”
Although everyone receives their news in a variety of ways, it’s important to do further research and ask deeper questions when forming your opinion, instead of creating it off bias. It’s equally important to listen to others and be open to change your mind if and when you hear new information.
“You get to see things from all different views,” Petmezas said. “One topic you can learn from others and look at it from different perspectives.”
While it is one thing to form your own opinion, it is another to express it and defend your logic to millions of people. This is what happens to our politicians. As their whole career is riding on other people agreeing with their opinions, it is easier for them to promote very right or left beliefs. According to statistics from the Congressional Votes Database, in recent years, while there are still some bipartisan bills, most bills have only been supported by one party with little or no support from the opposite party. About 15 years ago, the trend was the opposite, with most bills having bipartisan support and only some supported by one party.
Recent years have seen a movement towards more conservative Republicans and more liberal Democrats, deepening the divide between the parties. This tends to cause more tension, not only for the government, but amongst the people. Being close-minded about issues big and small prevents us from bridging the gap.
“For politicians, presenting a strong opinion that negates the nuance is a stronger political move for them because often when you present the nuanced perspective, people get confused and tune out,” Jordan said.
While complex opinions can be hard for people to understand, that does not mean that we should not be open to hearing them. Being open-minded does not mean that you must agree with everything other people say. It simply means being open to nuanced opinions that are not necessarily the black and white answers people first think of.
“Know your values and stick to them, but know the importance of listening to other people,” senior Laura Batts said. “Make sure you know your values and you’re concrete with that.”
No matter what your opinion is, it is important to have a well-informed one. If there is something you support that you do not completely believe in, you’re not being true to yourself. You should not feel like you have to choose the better of two bad, but standard, options. Instead, use your knowledge of the topic, experiences and moral compass to guide you to an opinion that is right for you.
