Why when so many people profess to have an open mind?
930466
I'm perfectly fine at hearing the opinions of others, but i don't like it when others attack my belief. I think it's uncalled for and rude. They wouldn't like it if I attacked theirs.
547787
This is very true. Most modern religious folks are not willing to step outside of their normal perspective on things. I find it a little sad that so many people refuse to think for themselves.
105933
People have a need to believe in something outside of themselves. Some people believe in reason. Some people believe in a god. It is what ever works for you and you should not try to put down another’s beliefs
342722
Minds should always be wide open for learning new stuff...that goes for both sides...
524041
i think most people want to think they have an opinion on something, so they just make stuff up without even knowing what they're talking about. they want to sound smart, but the SMART thing to do would be to know what you're talking about before you open your mouth.\n\nbut about your problem. would it be bad to ask the people their opinions and just tell them you don't feel like you know enough about it yet to have an opinion? maybe they'll tell you a little about it and you'll learn about it so you WILL have an opinion the next time. just ask them.
34912
I think what this guy is trying to point out is the frustration with so many people being led blindly by dated or 'obsolete' ideologies. I think this question is more akin to people with 'leftist' ideals, that see in the masses a repeating pattern of spoon-fed idiocy. Whenever I think of this question, I think of the millions of people that believe in anything without questioning or analyzing the deepness of the subject. What really comes to mind is RELIGION and PATRIOTISM. So many have been led into believing things that are not even entirely certain, are very subjective and bound to relativity and seemingly created to keep a group of people in power. \nI think this person is frustrated with so many people not questioning beliefs and believing blindly just because 'tradition' demands it.\nWhat frustrates me is that I see so many backwards things and so many people not even questioning them, buying into them and being told how to be and how to act by non-founded dubious sources... this is very saddening, and yes, I think it affects us all. Open-mindedness and an analytical, critical attitude is much needed nowadays, when we're being bombarded by propaganda and lies every day. It's time for society to evolve, go beyond tradition, rid of the old attitudes that have proven wrong, and WAKE UP!
986114
One could only hope others would be openminded enough to consider things from all sides.  If I heard evidence from the other side that actually made sense and shook my own beliefs, it might sway me.  That's never actually happened to this point.
514352
I will be following this very closely, as this question is incredably nessisary to ask. Strange that is should be asked however, since we are all human beings. No one is less than anyone else. Why do we have these ideas that people can push others around or away because of ones subjective belief of right or wrong? Well said Asker.
829525
Our minds usually accept the dogmas and myths of our culture. Most peoples' minds become programmed with the beliefs of their era and society. They don't think for themselves but let their parents, their friends, their favorite TV show, or what cultural beliefs  implant  in them. To be able to form sound opinions and make effective decisions, you must know how to think critically.  Enlightened thinking involves the careful consideration of multiple points of view and keeping our minds open to alternative sources of information. Unless we work at becoming critical thinkers, there is a natural tendency is to limit our ideas to only those that are easily available, never really discovering or considering alternative sources of information.  Christians and most people following dogma and never think to question what they are learning.  Sheep - humanity is in reality a herd of sheep.
916962
I try to keep an open mind. When our minds are closed to new things or different things we stop learning, and then there's no   chance for growth of any kind.
413106
Often, it's not what the person wants to hear.  Rather than look at the big picture, some people are content to view their own limited perspectives, so hearing something that contradicts their points of view tends to threaten them.
422756
Whatever the situation, to be more open and outspoken is to have a wide point of view, and also, confidence.\nTrust me.
104280
thats why even when you have strong opinions you need to keep an open mind so you do not become to biased
241159
b/c they are closed minded
893214
because some people are narrow-minded
1109242
It's easy to give an opinion but hard to listen to another especially if it's not the same as yours.\n\nI for one invite opposing views life's more interesting that way.\n\nWould rather hear what you really believe than being surrounded by yes men.
1110432
I think a lot of people believe what they say so strongly that they think they're saying what they believe, when really they're saying what others believe and what they in turn have internalized, for lack of a better word.  But I do agree with the answerer who said that all knowledge is based on authority; it's impossible to avoid that completely.  We are immensely affected by what we're born in to.  There's no getting around that.  I read a book last year (The Immoralist, by André Gide) that dealt with that concept a bit, and the author believed it necessary to completely kill oneself (not physically, of course) to find the blank parchment underneath; the original part of oneself that hadn't been tainted by society and family, and the one that could still be imprinted with truly personal and genuine beliefs.\n\nThat's a utopian ideal, at best.  To expect people to shed all that they know in the hopes of embracing something completely foreign, which may supposedly be more real and appropriate for them is really excessive.  Even if people wanted to do that, it's still an enormous task to undertake.  So to some extent, everybody repeats a lot of hearsay, if you will, in the guise of true, personal beliefs.  Some people are more "sheltered" than others and less aware of the extent to which their beliefs have been swayed and shaped by others, and some people have broken out of their molds in a manner that would have made Gide himself proud.\n\nPersonally, I think I say what I believe a good amount of the time.  I still struggle with a lot that I've learned growing up; things that I see still influencing my life even after I've chosen other paths.  An unavoidable fact of life, I suppose.  But I have learned to look outside of the box I was born in to, and also to step outside that box and look at it from a different perspective.  That helps a lot.