Be honest on this one, do you really keep an open mind? I have a friend at school, who refuses to accept anything else to what he already believes in, which is that all religion is wrong and that the Bible is 'crap'. And he's very loud about it too. He argues with another friend, who is a hyper-devout catholic,. They can never agree, grow or develop without learning from other ways of life. I try to keep an open mind- I accept other people's views, listen to them, and only argue if they attack my personal beliefs. But I am not totally open minded- I do have very deep beliefs and philosophies which will need alot to disprove them. So are you open minded? Really?
I don't like to lose, but if I find out that I was wrong I try to swallow my pride and learn from the mistakes. It also depends on the kind of discussion. Generally, keeping an open mind is a good thing, but sometimes it's also good to argue a bit for what you think is right.
I'm the same as Fancy.
I can see things from the point of view of someone else, but that doesn't mean that I have to agree with them. For example, I can understand why some Iraqis are fighting American soldiers, but that doesn't keep me from wanting those who kill my comrades to end up six feet under ground.
I try to keep an open mind and try to see things from both points of view and establish a common ground.
But there are some things I guess I could be considered old fashioned on that I do not accept.
People mistake open-mindedness for having no strongly held personal beliefs or convictions, or for always agreeing with other people. This is not the case. Being open-minded means being objective - it is the willingness to listen and to think. And I have a very strongly-held belief in being objective, listening, and thinking. For me there are no degrees of open-mindedness - you are either open-minded or you are not.
I would say i'm open minded, but by that i mean i will hear people out and respect their ideas, not that i agree with everything other people say. I have pretty certain ideas about a lot of things, and will insist that i am right about them. But other people can think otherwise, i'm fine with that. To a certain extent. Racism, Sexism and intolerance are unacceptable. But that has nothing to do with open mindedness.
KarstI would say i'm open minded, but by that i mean i will hear people out and respect their ideas, not that i agree with everything other people say.
Indeed. I listen to them, and respect their ideas wether they I agree or disagree. However, I can not stand injustice. So if someone states something incorrect and is too stubborn to listen to me, I can get pretty annoyed. I try to react as reasonable as I can though.
I would say I'm open-minded, yes. I dislike prejustice and injustice, and am willing to defend what I stand for. However, I wouldn't attack someone for their views.
Except for a couple of things, I am mostly open minded. But not always.
i keep an open mind most of the time, the only times is when i'm confused or half asleep.
most of my family aren't and it is annoyying
I'm like most of the people here: I listen others, at least try to give enough respect for their views and I'm willing to find some sort of a compromise or seek common ground. I rarely declare things as absolute and I put my words carefully, depending about the subject of a topic.
But there are some subjects that I have strong views on like the European Union, politics & politicians, democracy, science vs. religion and healthcare, unemployment/employment & education issues.