Open Mindedness And Gen Y

                                                            By John S.

Open mindedness is a beautiful thing. How does it pertain to our generation? First we shall define what that means. There is a myth that being open means that you are bisexual, you take drugs and want them legal, you are pro choice, you believe in aliens…etc. This is a fallacy. No specific opinion makes you more accepting or open. Only having tolerance and respect for the opinions of others, while being receptive to new ideas that may change your current perspective. Liberal, Conservative, Anarcho-Primitivist… it makes no difference.

So how does this pertain to you?

This era of young minds is more connected than anyone else. We’ve discussed this before, so I won’t belabor the topic. Globalization created a deep diversity of people being able to communicate with each other. That means you have friends from all over the world, of different colors, cultures, and creeds. Because we are surrounded by diversity, we don’t think Asian food is weird or Mexican dancing odd. If you live in an urban zone, you understand this intuitively. Gen Y has the privilege of living in a time when variation is embraced and encouraged. With every new trend there are those that follow it, are neutral, and openly loathe it. Neither side is correct. Your dad thinks that guy you know with gauges in his ears is strange, but it means nothing more to you than if he were wearing a tie-dye t-shirt.

Now, I’m sure you find some things a little far out to comprehend (gauges maybe?), and that’s ok. Remember that you aren’t required to enjoy someone or something to have an open mind. Just be ok with the fact that people are dissimilar. I’m positive your ideas and lifestyles are peculiar to at least one other person. Keep that in the front of your mind the next time you see a nudist on T.V. (or in a café).

That was a joke. You catch my drift.

Yours Truly,

John S.

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