It's truly perplexing, it is a complicated issue to understand but I've reached a stalemate in my attempts to accurately represent what society has constructed as open mindedness. In today's society, with cultural and social expectations drastically changing, there is so much to be conscious of and take into account.
You have to approach these newly found social norms with ease and, like mentioned above, an open mind. However, this can present a challenge. What is open mindedness? Often, we toss words around in our vocabulary yet have a minimal understanding of the significance these words can hold. We would like to claim we are open minded and accepting, yet we either are too much so or not enough. The root of this issue can be somewhat resolved by defining open mindedness and what that looks like implemented in reality.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, a person with an open mind has the ability to approach situations with honest thoughts and observe without considering prejudice. That seems pretty straight forward and we still continue to encounter issues of social unrest and an ignorance to accept the new cultural trends dominating our society.
You really can't win with an open-minded attitude depending on the circumstances.
I've encountered two issues in my efforts to proudly hoist an open-minded attitude up on my shoulders -- one, I'm too open-minded or two, I'm not open-minded enough. Make up your minds people, I feel like I am in the middle of tug-o-war.
So how can one be too open-minded? On one end of the social spectrum, you have those individuals that expect you to follow in suit with their opinions -- when they discover otherwise, tensions rise. Explanations are discussed but no one can seem to see the other's perspective. At the end of the day, you're not holding onto your own beliefs strongly enough for them to be swept away by the changing social trends. Accused of sacrificing my good nature, purely because of an open mind? I would never disregard the beliefs I hold closest to me, and being open-minded doesn't automatically assume I am weak willed.
There is this other opinion that I am not open-minded enough -- again, how is this even possible? I don't judge and I am one of the most timid people who doesn't talk, yet I cause a ruckus. People are dissatisfied that I don't agree with their views or that my opinions have a stricter morality than theirs. I have an open mind, there is a significant difference from ignorance and simple disagreement. As an open mind, you can disagree; however, it is imperative that you understand the situation and others before making any judgments.
It's not fun, I thought that by being open minded I would have this mellow, surfer dude vibe going on. Yet, I am more stressed trying to balance on a tight rope of too open minded or not enough. With that being said, do whatever you want because there is always that one to contradict your beliefs.