“You know what a closed mind is, right? It’s a mind so full of its own thoughts that there is no room for a different idea to come in.”
That was Bob’s way of putting it. but there is William James and “contempt prior to investigation” and a whole bunch of other ways of looking at it, too.
Here is Epictetus.
[1] If someone, says Epictetus, refuses to accept what is patently obvious, it is not easy to find arguments to use against him that could cause him to change his mind. [2] And the reason for this lies neither in his own strength, nor in the weakness of the one who is trying to instruct him; but the fact is that when someone who has been driven into a corner turns to stone, how can one hope to deal with him any further through argument?
Discourses, 1.5.
It’s always easy to see in others and especially in current politics. They, whoever they are, have closed minds. Look!
And then we sneer at them, smug in our open-mindedness.
For me, I will try to take that smug feeling as a signal. I, too, have a closed mind. I cannot be persuaded that I’m wrong. That’s my default state.
Accept that, and use the small awakening triggered by an offhand comment. Ah. You heard that comment. Remember that you, too, are just as prone to such an error and in fact you are probably suffering from a closed mind at this moment, on that topic for which the comment poked you awake momentarily.
What are my core principles, the no matter what’s? How do I put them into practice? Are they a little worse for the wear when they meet a real-world test?
Ignore politics. That’s only useful to me as a buzzer to awaken consciousness.
But look for a closed mind in other arenas. Example. I am about to hire JP to do a project for me. My self-reliance (an admirable trait) caused me damage by cutting me off from help easily accessible, just for asking. My life is immediately better because I asked for help and stopped being Mr. Intelligent and Mr. Industrious.
You know those core principles you treasure? Open up to other ideas. Don’t discard intelligence or industry. But add open-mindedness.
In this case, hiring JP was caused by desperation (I am overwhelmed) and a sense of adventure (let’s see what I can accomplish if I don’t do anything, but ask other people to do things for me—for money or course). And the comment by IH that told me what an entrepreneur is. Which is a concept I had wrong forever.
When you see something out there in the world that demonstrates a closed mind, use that as a wake-up alarm to remind yourself that you, too, are a closed-minded person in subtle and obvious ways.
Another thing. Be attuned to extremely cautious suggestions by others. Or seemingly offhand suggestions. “Why don’t you think of X?” Or maybe “Maybe you could do Y.”
Instead of dismissing that out of hand, roll the possibility around in your head. And maybe do it, as an experiment. There is no harm in an experiment.
Meta. If it isn’t obvious, these little things I write are a way I talk to myself. Sometimes I discover what I think. Other times I remind myself of something that is too easily forgotten.