Saturday, October 6, 2012
The Sign Said Only Long-Haired Freaky People Allowed
I saw a picture the other day of a quaint little sign that said, "If only closed minds came with closed mouths". I couldn't infer where the sign was located, but I imagined it was perched atop the service counter of some small business that sold cleverly offensive bumper stickers and homemade bongs, run by a rat-tailed hippie that still believes in sex without consequences. I'm probably way off...my imagination tends to get away from me sometimes.
But regardless of where the sign sat, I couldn't help but have a problem with what it means. For a number of reasons. The foremost being how absolutely hypocritical it is. What is this really saying? It's saying that if you have an opinion that I find "closed minded" then you should shut your mouth. In other words, if you disagree with me, I don't want to hear it and I don't think anyone else should hear it either. So who is closed-minded? Maybe someone should make a sign saying, "If only closed minds didn't think of ridiculous things to put on signs."
Furthermore, it serves to deepen one of the underlying problems in this country. We can't have debates anymore without one side calling the other side names or being dismissed as closed-minded. I recently had a conversation with a long-time friend about gay marriage. It ended with me being de-friended on Facebook and I haven't heard from her since. I'm sure she thought I was being "closed-minded" about the issue...but I'm not the one that got angry and cut off all forms of communication. I guess some people can't be friends with someone they don't see eye-to-eye with. I'm not one of those people.
Even the term "closed-minded" bothers me. It's nonsensical if you really think about it. How can someone even have a closed mind? In order to have an opinion or conviction, you have to register at least a little bit of information about the subject. You search for the truth, and once you believe you've found it, you defend it. How is that "closed-minded"?
I submit to you that there are no closed minds. There are only minds. To each one is given, unique to any other, and you are expected to use it. So the next time someone accuses you of having a closed mind, remind them how stupid they are. Just kidding...sort of.
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It's curious. If they want you to be respectful of their opinions, shouldn't they be just as respectful of yours? Interesting how no one thinks of that.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it though?
ReplyDeleteSeriously, though... the people that tend to bicker about hypocrisy and close-mindedness from my experience are the ones that are being hypocritical and close-minded. Basically, they say if you share my opinion you are open minded. Shouldn't that work both ways? Or if it doesn't work both ways, than aren't you being closed minded? To me, being closed minded means that I have come to a place where I have made a stand on a subject and than closed off or guarded my mind from the other garbage trying to get inside. Why am I being insulted for taking a stand? I'm not insulting you for your way of thinking. Whether it's gay marriage, war and peace, or spam verses lunch meat, don't we all naturally have a tendency to pick sides? Since when has that been immoral, illegal, hypocritical, or worth unfriending? Real friends don't make things relational. They don't draw lines in the sand. JC drew a line in the sand to oppose judgment and hypocrisy against a whore. Who am I to draw lines about your splinter when I've got this huge plank in my eye? Thanks for bringing this up, Ryan. Good thinking as always...
ReplyDeleteI don't know Ryan. I postulate there is no more original thought and history just repeats itself. Then how unique are we really? Until we discover or evolve down a divergent path my friend it's all loopy loops. Just kidding or not.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, The concept of close minded people does exist in my mind. I call it the evolution of the psyche. We are moving away from the power of physical dominance towards the greater power lying with the mind. Those who choose to close off their mind are weak and subjugate to those that open their mind obtain power and superiority. There are people that buy stickers. Then there are people that design stickers. Finally there are people that design and build the machine that lets someone design the stickers to sell to people that buy them, but there is one more. We can't forget the person who dreamed of the sticker before it was ever invented. These are the people that are open minded. Minds with the ability to make dreams come true. They cross the line between fantasy and reality. That is what it takes to be truly open minded.
For a moment let's "postulate" that open- and closed-minds do exist. I would then say that all minds are initially wide open. Meaning: as a child you know nothing, you are learning by your experiences and the influences around you. You then begin to formulate opinions about things, discern between what you believe is right and wrong, build upon your faith or not. This is when minds begin to close, when a person comes to a conclusion about an issue, is convicted by what they see as truth. In this way, I believe every living person at some point in their existence closes their minds to an issue.
DeleteI see this as something very different from what you described. What you are talking about is imagination or the lack there of. My post is dealing more with choosing sides on an issue rather than having a mind that is innovative and forward thinking. Many people can dream grand dreams, but still be considered "closed-minded" when it comes to hot topics.