Open-Mindedness

Why it’s important for our minds to remain open, but perhaps not all the way

This article is in response to a tag received from Henerey X. His article can be seen here.

Imagine, human knowledge doubling on average, every 12 hours. How would you keep up with the onslaught of that much information?

Would it therefore be better for our minds to be like a revolving door, allowing instant access to all of it or more like one with a keycard? Admittance in, only with authorization and clearance?

Buckminster Fuller came up with the “Knowledge Doubling Curve” and determined that human knowledge was doubling every 100 years up until 1900. After World War II, this was updated to every 25 years. Recent studies have shown an even more “alarming” trend; human knowledge doubling every 13 months. And with the “Internet of Things” fully in place, IBM posited that this would eventually speed up to every 12 hours!

If we maintain an open mind, will humans be able to process this ever-expanding flow of information? Will it make any difference in how we decide what is right or wrong?

Open-Mindedness is a wonderful concept and perspective on how to view the universe around us. It means that we are not closing off our perceptions when they experience anything that exceeds the boundaries of what we might consider to be right or wrong. Or going against what we find comforting and familiar.

In opposition, the closed-mind is one that has many restrictions at the portal to human experience. It denies access to many ideas and concepts that do not match up to pre-conceived ideas and matrices of what is right or wrong, just or unjust.

Henerey X noted this change in how he perceived knowledge on an ongoing basis.

In the beginning: “Knowledge is Power and Understanding of said Knowledge, is Power defined.” Now: “Correct Knowledge is Power and Proper Understanding of Correct Knowledge, is Power defined.”

A simple adjustment in quality or exactitude was made by Henery, and one that I believe is essential as the torrent of information coming into our lives will otherwise have the ability to “wash away” what isn’t securely rooted in reason and logic.

In other words, information, ungraded and unchallenged has the ability to insinuate itself into our daily lives and alter the “algorithms” that our minds use to process information and come to conclusions that guide our lives.

… but am also a realist and know that the application of logic is more time consuming and requires more of a commitment to truth in our lives …

I personally, have been on the receiving end of bias. One example, was a rather interesting one. Being of Italian extraction and from Brooklyn, of all places, I have had people assume time and again, that I was connected. “What Mafia family, were you a member of?” And because of this connection, I apparently warranted a little more scrutiny and suspicion than if my last name was Smith or Jones.

Did it seriously impact my life? No, not really. It was more humorous than anything else, but a nuisance nonetheless. And an important lesson for me on how fixed ideas, deeply rooted in a person’s working mind, can adversely affect how they view the world and the people within it. And certainly, impact the decisions that are processed with this information to hand

I applaud an open-mind view of life and this universe. I yearn that more people accept the world of logic and reason, but am also a realist and know that the application of logic is more time consuming and requires more of a commitment to truth in our lives, than simply turning the dial to our favorite talking head, and listening to their version of what the world really should believe in.

I believe there is a means to accomplishing both things here. That is, an open-mind and love of logic and the ability to have both without spending an inordinate amount of time restricting the flow of information or trying to figure out when to turn off our perceptions and when to keep them wide open.

Information is not knowledge and knowledge is not necessarily truth. There are no shortcuts in life and certainly shouldn’t be any related to the human mind.

The old IT expression comes into play here: GIGO. Or Garbage In, Garbage Out. If the data inputted into a system in suspect and/or outright incorrect, then why would we expect the conclusions thus generated to be anything more than garbage out? If this is applicable to computing systems, shouldn’t the same precautions be taken with our own computing system — the human mind?

Open-mind, YES. But a cautious one. A discerning one as well. Our well-being is at stake and that of those around us. How we perceive and what we perceive is vital to the end product — decisions that guide our lives.

I think the subject of open-mindedness is a vital one and one I will spend more time with. I’ve been meaning to publish an article on this subject, and now Henery X’s challenge and timing couldn’t be better timed.

As before I will tag the same people that Henery tagged. I hope others take a swing at this topic. I think it’s an important one, that can generate a lot of interesting perspectives on it, along with having some fun.

Derry Cox Michele Thill NaNa'sworld Selma Aurora Eliam, CMP Sumera Rizwan Terry Mansfield Tom Byers Annelise Lords Amy Marley Keno Ogbo Kevin Buddaeus Dr Mehmetyildiz KeepingItRealWithAnnick Karen Madej 💛 Gurpreet Dhariwal Chris Hedges Kathryn A. LeRoy, Ph.D. Paul Myers MBA Rasheed Hooda Trista Ainsworth Tim Maudlin Desiree Driesenaar Charlotte Zobeir Ali

Joe Luca is writer and editor for ILLUMINATION and a published author and writer of children’s stories, short fiction, non-fiction articles, screenplays and poetry. Publications include Child’s Life, Children’s Playmate and others. There are some other articles below — have a read. And thank you for stopping by.