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The importance of cultivating an open mind

© Taylor Ellwood

This next series of articles will deal with discrimination in regards to paganism and magic. However my approach to this subject is not just to critique the christians, but also the pagans. As a community we need to critically examine our own behavior and how it fosters prejudice toward other people and culture. The goal really is to get past what I consider willful ignorance. Ignorance where a person can admit that s/he doesn't know is ignorance that can be remedied by learning about other people and cultures. It can be remedied by simply choosing to get to know someone who is different from you. You may not end up agreeing with that person (nor do you need to), but you can learn from that person.

Willful ignorance is the choice to continue being ignorant. This is a choice made everyday by people the world over. This ignorance is an ignorance which while acknowledging that the person doesn't know, also says I don't need to know. This ignorance is the root of much of the discrimination, hate, and overall pettiness that occurs in this world. The encouragement of such ignorance can only harm all of us and yet sadly this occurs all too often. The only we can combat is by learning to be receptive and open to what we can learn while also being critical of what is learned.

Cultivating openness does not mean complete and utter acceptance. Rather cultivating openness is about a willingness to listen and acknowledge what is heard. You don't have to agree with what you hear. You could disagree and talk about your disagreement, but by acknowledging what someone has to say there is the opportunity to learn from that person and grow as both an individual and a member of society. Openness leads to pluralistic thinking, which in turn leads to a heightened awareness of different possibilities that a person can make. It leads to a non-linear perspective and an openness to perspectives outside your own reality tunnel. This doesn't mean a person can't be critical though. By being critical we learn to what works for us and incorporate it into how we approach life, while acknowledging that not everything can or will work for everyone.

My goal with this series of articles is to show how openness can potentially lead to more education for all people involved and perhaps even to respect for each other. While this may be a heady goal to shoot for in our everyday interactions, I do not think it is impossible. As a teacher of writing, I have often encourage my students to cultivate a mindful and open approach to their writing and reading and the views they encounter in the process of doing both activities. Often by the end of the semester this has lead them to very different perspectives on how they view a lot of issues. By being open we can address such issues as discrimination, but of course the choice ultimately is that of the reader. How willing are you to face your own triggers, your reactions and why you feel the way you do about a particular people, belief system, etc?