It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
- Aristotle

Do you ever find yourself rejecting ideas or thoughts that challenge your beliefs right off the bat, without even considering whether they could be true?

I’ve always considered myself to be a pretty open-minded and flexible person, but when I read this quote from Aristotle, it led me to question if my mind was really as “educated” as I would like.

To me, this definition of an educated mind means not being afraid of differing ideas and viewpoints. Not feeling threatened by intellectual challenges that may bring into question some of your beliefs, values, ideals, goals, or even your purpose.

Here are 7 common traps that may be preventing you from being as open-minded as you might like to be…

1) You gravitate toward people that agree with you and reject those with differing viewpoints. I recently saw an interesting story by George Stephanopoulos about the polarization of America. According to the report, our nation is more divided today than at any previous point since the Civil War.

“In interviews with political leaders, media analysts, and people in communities around the country, ABC News found what appears to be a new phenomenon: the polarization is feeding on itself. It’s not just politicians, business or religious leaders, liberals or conservatives - or the media: It’s each of us. And it’s alarming.”

They call it “The Big Sort,” surrounding ourselves with people who are like us. It’s happening in cities, towns, and even neighborhoods. And it’s not just in politics where this phenomenon occurs.

It’s probably even more prevalent online, where it’s easy to reject or ban those with different viewpoints by calling them trolls or ‘disruptive.’ The lack of civility and common courtesy in many online communities aggravates the problem on both sides. I see it happening online all the time.

You can read the whole story and watch the video here:

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=2140483&page=1

Small step you can take: Expose yourself to differing ideas and viewpoints. BookTV frequently has interesting discussions from authors representing all sorts of viewpoints on relevant issues. Check out the weekend schedule and see if you find a topic that intrigues you.

2) You get all your information from the same sources. Do you get all your information from the same news channel, websites, blogs? Do you only watch Fox News, or MSNBC, or CNN?

Is it because of convenience, or because you know you won’t find any “threatening” information or differing viewpoints?

Small step: Watch 10 minutes of the “other” news channel every day, or read a story from a different website or blog than you normally would.

3) You label people who don’t match your way of thinking. There are two extremes for this… Labeling people as crazy, loony, far-out, or the other extreme, labeling people as close-minded, “asleep,” or lacking awareness.

Then there’s all the labels in between… liberal, conservative, right-winger, far-left, progressive, etc.

Some people really are crazy, far-out, or close-minded, but many are not.

Small step: Catch yourself when you are about to label a person or group.

4) You fail to realize that people have different experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, and most of us do things for a good reason. Not everyone sees the world as you do, and that’s usually a good thing.

Psychologists have discovered that most of us tend to assume that we have a good reason for our behavior, while at the same time believing that other people do things because of the “kind of person” they are. This phenomenon is called the fundamental attribution error.

Small step: Consider that other people may also have a good reason for doing what they do.

5) You don’t change your mind once it’s made up. One of my favorite quotes from my wife’s grandmother “A wise man changes his mind, a fool never does.” It actually comes from a Spanish proverb, but I heard it from her

Here are some other good ones:

Faced with the choice between changing one’s mind and proving there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.
- John Kenneth Galbraith

When a man you like switches from what he said a year ago, or 4 years ago, he is a broad-minded person who has courage enough to change his mind with changing conditions. When a man you don’t like does it, he is a liar who has broken his promises.
- Franklin P. Adams

Small step: Try to consider ideas even if you don’t end up accepting them, and don’t be afraid to change your mind.

6) You don’t make the effort to understand an issue from other people’s perspectives.

Small step: Practice emphatic listening with your loved ones, then extend to others.

7) You apply labels to yourself that may limit your options. When you apply labels to yourself that shape your identity, the labels may take on a life of their own, limiting your options and what you are willing to consider.

These labels are things like I’m a … Democrat, Republican, moderate, scientist, believer, liberal, conservative, employee, entrepreneur, Christian, Muslim, American, French, supporter of the military, peace activist, Bush-lover, Bush-hater, etc.

Read this story for more examples of how labels can limit your options and make it difficult to change your mind on complex issues.

Small step: Rethink some of the labels you apply to yourself. Are they really serving you?

As I write this post, I’ve realized that while I think I am fairly open-minded, I can still strive to do better. How about you?

We must dare to think unthinkable thoughts. We must learn to explore all the options and possibilities that confront us in a complex and rapidly changing world.

- James William Fulbright, US Senator