O is for Open

Part fifteen of the A-Z series. O is for Open.

The act of being open. This can present a challenge to me as I imagine it does to many others the act of keeping an open mind and heart. Especially in the presence of a person with drastically conflicting thoughts and ideas from one’s self. It’s a challenge. Is it worth it? My initial instinct would be to say…Yes!

Every interaction that opens us up broadens our understanding of the world. Not only does it make the open individual more interesting, it helps to feed their mind and heart novelty. Something that most humans crave. Something new, something different.

There just isn’t enough attempt at open acceptance in the world. It seems now a days humans are over grown children with mallets trying to bash people into a pre-packaged mold of how people “should” be. They have judgments about what certain things “mean” and that we have some sort of obligation to make people like them. That they are somehow the model of perfection. It is an interesting idea.

I am even guilty of this though as I grow older and more enlightened it has been easier to let this notion go. I don’t have to make you like me, however if you are toxic to me I can choose to be somewhere away from you. That is my choice about what allows me a healthy environment for my own self preservation.

Where openness comes into play is the willingness to be open, accepting and engaged with those I come in contact with and actively willing to hear what they are trying to convey. In the end most people really want the same things. In the end we really aren’t that different. We are different flavors of experience but we all have needs and we would prefer to be liked rather than disliked if possible. If we can’t be liked I think the majority of people would at least want to know that they were heard and I think that basic level of human dignity and respect is not an unreasonable expectation to have or to give to others.

It doesn’t have to be written in stone that any exchange made need be taken to heart for all eternity. Yet, by opening up to have unique experiences, especially the type of experience that takes a person out of their comfort zone and into the uncharted territories of new perspective is a worthwhile endeavor to participate in. Take it on with joy and humor.