Thursday, January 3, 2008

Open-mindedness

I want to be open minded. And I think I am. But I don't truly understand what being 'open-minded' or liberal means. I don't even know whether the two terms are the same. Yes, they will definitely mean different things to different people, but I don't know what they mean to me.

I am very open minded about sex and religion. I believe in freedom of speech. I accept the fact that people have different beliefs, but I do sometimes face difficulties in respecting beliefs which I think are so wrong. Does my not being able to accept the fact that a boy and a girl, if sitting together, are going to be shooed away from the Rose Garden make me less open minded than I think I am? Or my indignation show that I am open minded?

I just read a piece by Dilip D'Souza about being liberal in India, and very honestly, I didn't understand all of it. Yes, I agree that "one of the things about being liberal is that you live your life as you want and leave others to their lives." I'd like to believe I do that, and I think I actually do do that. I don't completely understand the distinctions he's made between conservatives and liberals, and I don't know which 'camp' I belong to.

And since I don't know what exactly open-mindedness or liberalism means to me, I don't know why I want to be part of that camp.

3 comments:

kpowerinfinity said...

I think I belong to the same 'camp' as you do -- I couldn't understand much of that piece as well :-D

On the issue of conservatism and liberalism though, I myself don't think any of us belong to any one 'camp' -- at least I don't -- I think most of us draw the line at different points in the line separating conservatives and liberals, and it's a personal preference. What may be fine with you, may not be with me and vice versa. It's all shades of grey.

Amphy said...

You fit in the description correctly. You don't like the couple (or not) being shooed away because individually, they don't mind sitting with each other and therefore no one else should either.
And also, the person who objects their sitting together is a moron with too little a brain for having thoughts and opinions about being liberal or conservative, he is just doing what he was asked to do by someone else so open minded that he's a pervert.
If you think this way, no one's conservative.

Anonymous said...

well, i like ur comments and especially the openness you have written them with. this comment isnt only for this particular blog but for all the other blogs also... u have been honest and open. its actually VERY refreshing!