"Things to Chew On"

  I recently was told that I was not as open as I claimed to be.  This gave me pause because I feel that I am a very open individual.  Then I realized how many different ways being open can be taken. Open- Minded, Open to Love, to Feelings, to feedback, open with communication... To be open has so many different meanings.  So am I less open then I claim to be?!  Maybe, in some areas, but here are my thoughts.

- Open to me means reserving judgement, trusting, having an equally strong belief in everyones potential, being self aware enough to recognize ones own blind spots and the value of all perspectives. 

- Open is the polar opposite of guarded, defensive, hiding, closed down, afraid, self protecting.

- Open is Courageous, Humble, Powerful, Willing, Accepting, LIGHT, Unconditional.

- Open(ness) comes natural. It doesn't have rules or regulation to follow. Open doesn't have to look a certain way. One's openness is not defined by a single moment or event.

- Open is individualized and generalized 

- Open is not forced, but living in the moment

- Open roots you (This one might make you think:)

- Open is not limited, or restricted. 

- Open is LOVE

I feel as if there is a strong shift taking place in the way people are thinking.  We no longer want to be held back by judgement and someone else’s idea of normal. As my personality develops and my needs become more unique, I am bound to start seeing how my path diverges from others’. All the while, we hold on to our commonalities and seek new ways to connect with our fellow human beings. Between the pull to connect and the pull to specialize, we find ourselves challenged with new ideas and old ones. Changes are naturally seen as foreign and suspicious. We inevitably form opinions about others who make choices which contract with our own.

Now these opinions can go one of two ways. Firstly, they can shape our view to become narrow(limited perspective) – singling anything out of our scope as bad or wrong. Yes, perhaps wrong for you, however, right for someone else or as I like to say "there is no right or wrong" only "working and not working". What works for you might not work for someone else.  Secondly, it can be used to grow our perspective. Growing our perspective is what is referred to as ‘being open’. Although indirectly, taking noticing about how others differ from you can allow you to make choices about how you will continue to treat people. Instead of reacting with fear to another person’s choice – because this choice for you would have bad consequences – you can choose to act with perspective.

I Look at it this way. You are a religious person and you meet an atheist. You, a strong believer in faith, can (a) treat this person with an attitude expressing your view as better, or as RIGHT or (b) understand that this atheist holds their own beliefs because of their unique life experiences and that they are entitled to their own choices. 

Being open can go a long way towards bridging communication between people with opposing views as well as those who have the same views. Also, being open can free you from narrow black-and-white descriptions of things, giving you room to express freedom, creativity, preferences and much more. Thirdly, being a person who is open demonstrates your skills to accept, understand, grow, mature and, above all, strive for greater things...such as to live a life of LOVE.

I found the following questions in a book that I was reading a while back and liked them so much I thought I would share.

Ask yourself these questions now, and think about what it means to be someone who can achieve ‘being open’:

• Am I willing to push past my assumptions and take the time to understand why people act the way they do?
• What will I lose when I refuse to judge people according to my view of the world? What does being RIGHT really mean to me?
• How can I find a way to act, that will free someone from unfair oppressing expectations?

OPEN ARMS:) hahaha couldn't resist