I Believe in Open Mindedness

It has been insanely hard for me to actually make a decision on what to write my “This I Believe” statement on, and, to be perfectly honest, I still have no idea what core belief I should base it on. So, I figured that, while there’s such little time left, I’m just going to write until something comes to me. Maybe by the end of this, I’ll have something that’ll make me realize something about myself that I didn’t realize before.

First off, I’d like to draw attention to the fact that, I’m very open-minded. Maybe that is why I’ve had such trouble finding a topic for my essay: I’m open to any and every side of everything thrown my way. I’ve learned that an open mind is the best way to understanding your surroundings and being able to walk in other people’s shoes. There’s nothing that I hate more than a judgmental person who refuses to listen to the other side and actually take in what they have to say. There’s old saying, “Never judge a book by its cover.” I think it should be re-written to say, “Never judge a book by its cover, reading the summary, looking at the pictures, or skimming the bold print.” Unless you are willing to “read the whole book,” don’t state your own opinion on it. It’s not fair to the author if you do.

Everyone thinks that their own opinion is the correct one or better than everyone else’s. Did we forget what the definition of “opinion” is? Definition: “a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty.” Every day I see the news and hear about how gays want the right to get married and those who refuse to give them that right, and every time I see it, I just can’t help but think about how self-centered some people are. Just because they don’t believe in gay marriage, means that the gays shouldn’t have the same rights as they do? It baffles me. I don’t mean to offend anyone, but I don’t think it’s their business to tell people who they can marry. I think that we spend too much time on focusing on other people’s problems that we look over our own. Too many people can’t see past their differences and actually look at another person. Politics is a perfect example. Republicans vs. Democrats, and there’s hardly any room for compromise without repercussions. Proudly, I can say that I’m independent and probably always will be. I don’t want some random person telling me what I can and can’t believe.

Overall, I guess I my belief is my “revised” quote that I referenced previously, “Never judge a book by its cover, reading the summary, looking at the pictures, or skimming the bold print,” along with the belief that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, as long as they respect and allow others to have their own.