The Floodgates of Your Mind

The Floodgates of Your Mind
In recent years we have taken the two characteristic traits of open-minded and narrow-minded and we have portrayed one as being positive and the other as negative. This portrayal is a strong indicator that we really have no clue what the two terms realistically mean and it is one reason we easily make poor decisions based in part upon our false concept. Our first error is in assuming they are polar opposites! The truth is that the opposite of open-minded is close-minded, and the opposite of narrow-minded is wide-minded.

A good way of understanding these terms is in comparing them to floodgates. When the gates are totally open, they let all of the water out... with the realistic possibility of actually flooding what doesn't need to be so harshly watered. What could be a positive is in reality a negative! The gates are so open they bring about ruin and destruction. In contrast, the closed gates are also doing no good. The farmland needs the water but since the water is being unnecessarily held back it isn't helping anybody in the process. Life-giving water is close at hand but is totally inaccessible. The crops die from lack of water.

Now the two better options are the narrow gates and the wide gates! By opening the gates either narrowly, or if needed, opening them quite wide, the water is controlled and the proper amount goes to where it is needed and can do some good. Harm has been avoided; the fields receive beneficial irrigation; everyone benefits, and progress has been made!

Society assumes that being open-minded is a good trait and narrow-minded is a negative trait. As clearly shown from the examples, this is wrong on both counts... the fully open has far more potential for harm than does the slightly narrow. It is only the fully closed-minded option that can do as much harm as the completely open-minded option does! If you have been wondering why so many bad and questionable decisions have been made in the last half-a-century, this will help you put things in proper perspective. We have our gates producing far too many floods and are refusing to control them in a wise and thoughtful manner!