HOW NOT TO OPEN THE MIND

HOW NOT TO OPEN THE MIND

We have been advised by many to open the mind. Learn and earn knowledge to open the mind and have a big heart. A good teacher is required to open the inner eye. Small minded people become adamant, angry and aggressive. Such people get only a limited number of  friends.

What exactly is a closed or small mind and how to open the mind to convert mean guys to great legends?

Is there any use in opening the mind, by the way ! This is interesting too. In fact an intelligent question. Many so called big hearted people have suffered more or less equally like ordinary small minded people with selfish motives. So what exactly is the use, if any, in opening the mind? Why not leave the mind in its natural state and simply go through the motions of instincts, desires and emotions?

This problem relates only to human beings. No animal or bird or plants or fish has this existential dilemma ! Whether to open the mind or not ! Keeping the mind as such is easy and natural. Open it up needs education and pain, sacrificing of personal interests. What is the use of taking all this trouble and still ending up miserable with an open heart, I mean mind?

Lets see. In fact we need to analyse this issue with a fine balance between heart (emotions) and brain (intellect) together. What the heart says may appear quite true but may not be acceptable at all to the brain. And vice versa. So a good balance of brain and heart is required to find out the truth in “Is opening the mind of any use”.

What is an open mind? Lets take an example. Someone marries from another religion. Closed minds cannot accept it. It is against what they learned. Such marriages may make them uncomfortable. The religion and its teachings and ways are sacrosanct for them. Such minds wonder. What made her marry such an ordinary guy? Far better options were available within the religion itself. Either she is stupid or he has trapped her. No closed mind can ever accept the couple. The couple would be kept out of their minds. Covert or open efforts will be on to belittle the couple, harass them, refuse help if needed, bring them down and trample them. The closed minds find this diabolic plot rather amusing and correct. They keep this feelings inside and mingle the crowd seeking similar people to join hands with and make fun of the couple.

Open minded ones may pass off the marriage as just another incident. After all there are only males and females, whatever be their religious inclination. Believing is Krishna is the same as believing in Jesus or Prophet Mohammed or Buddha or whoever great person the individual find attractive. Religion is a personal choice. The couple might have found them mutually complimenting. They might have found each other compatible. Others do not matter to them. They think they would be happy together than separate. Others have no business in this personal choice. So leave them alone. Let them love each other as much as they wish ! We can also learn from them how to love better !

These are the two different attitudes that develop among closed minds and open minds. Watch the difference in minds more closely.

The closed mind is so narrow that it cannot accept anything other than what is seen earlier. The mind is emotion driven, with jealousy and anger ruling the roost. Hurting and ridiculing others does not require a second thought for such people, as it becomes a normal way of functioning. Such minds are mostly owned by males. They watch people and pass comments. They target weaker people than themselves and crack jokes at their expense. They think they are the centre of existence and start advising and admonishing others thinking what they say is correct and better than the others.

It is difficult to spot such males in a crowd. Because most are that ! They present themselves to be confident and friendly, if that works. Their fangs will be hidden and would come out only when they get the right preys that can be intimidated and dominated.

Females know these narrow minded males too well. After all these males react mostly to the females as if they are an object to enjoy. Females call such males wholesome assholes, meaning they remind of that part of anatomy and talk shit.

Lets take another example. To the closed mind, the moon is a bright round disc which changes shape. Romantic minds realise that moonlit nights can be quite an experience. Beloveds know that there are few better experiences than being together at that time. The philosopher may think of the service of the moon by giving light at night. A rocket scientist may feel nothing about the moon knowing its hard reality. A mystic may think of the intelligence behind the creation of moon. These are all various states of minds with different understandings. All these experiences are true but only in parts.

Like the blind men saw the elephant. The elephant is not what the blind saw. The elephant is the elephant, whether endorsed by the blind or even by the visionary. There lies the crux. To know something in its totality, it is required to enquire about it completely, in all respects, no holes barred. This needs the intellect to be engaged. The mind is the tool to learn and analyse various options. This needs effort and patience. Most leave this painful process to understand as much as possible and remain happy with what their intellect is comfortable with.

Thus for most, the moon remains a bright round disc in the sky. The moon did not restrict them from knowing more about it. The individual did not bother to know any further. He might be more interested in how to make money and enjoy women. His energy and efforts are spent in those specific areas. And he definitely will get better understanding about money and women, his interested, short listed, focussed areas ! Ask them, if in doubt. And wonder at the walking encyclopaedia on how to make money or what the females in his radar vicinity do !

Had these guys used the intellect on studies instead, he would have passed IIT JEE with honours.

Coming back to the subject whether opening the mind is of any use or not. It can be seen that, the more one understands something, learns about it, researches on it and meditate about it, the clearer his understanding would be about it. This is simply the reward of opening the mind. The open minded gets more information about lets say the moon if he decides to interact with the romantic, the poet, the scientist, the philosopher and the mystic with an attempt to know what others know about the same thing that he knows a little about.

When the mind is open to further information, even if contradictory and unpalatable, the mind expands to accommodate all information. This makes the mind feel big, heavy and thus slow and peaceful. If another opinion or information comes on the same subject, the mind will try to accommodate that too and expand further.

When all the information about the enquired item is complete, the mind will digest the item completely and then disappear. Yes disappear ! The mind will not have anything more to enquire and thus it will simply leave the area and may go after something of fresh interest and start collecting information about it. The mind thus gets refined and keeps transforming, getting newer visions and experiences. All because the mind was allowed to learn everything possible about an item of interest.

Compare this mind with a closed mind. The closed mind does not accept anything other than what is already decided and accepted by the intellect. Further information is blocked by the intellect as it would affect the existing understanding of the mind, which will require change of stance and readjustment and looking afresh. All these are bothersome !

Therefore such minds resort to finding fault with others than trying to understand the issue in a better way. And what they train the mind, the mind will deliver, like it or not ! Thus the fanatics will frown at refreshing queries from the new generation. Instead of trying to understand them and answer logically, the fanatics find it easier to keep their own understanding and sleep over it. To continue the sleep in ignorance, they may even intimidate and eliminate the fresh information or the messenger carrying that information. But the information will keep coming in from other sources until the stubborn fundamentalists understand and change stance.

That is how God works. Like a river going around obstacle rocks incessantly and slowly dissolving it into nothing but beach sand. Tell the beach sand that it was a stubborn rock once ! It may just smile.

Therefore fanatics and fundamentalists may continue to sleep like the obstacle rock in a river. No issues. The waters continue to flow around. Good night.