Open Your Mind

I'm a little too lazy right now to want to be thinking about the deeper things so here is my second newsletter submission that has some of my deeper thoughts in a cohesive piece. 
This blog is definitely going to be all over the place - the previously intended chronological order is in shambles. But not to worry, it'll still make sense and it'll all still be blogged about!

            During the Unit 2 homestay trip to forest communities, I found myself worn out from the thorough and content-heavy exchanges we tackled throughout the day. Every time I came back to my host mother’s house in Toong Lui Lai village, however, I discovered there was always something more to talk about, always something more to discuss. Whether we were half distracted by Thai soaps playing in the background or mindlessly chewing on leftover kao niao (sticky rice) after an amazing dinner, my peers and I would end up talking about things like politics, cultural differences, group process and religion. Nights when I expected to simply settle down on a full stomach instead became discussion-filled evenings that opened up whole new perspectives to me. Because the 3 other students staying in the house and I had such varying experiences and opinions, we often struggled to understand each other’s views.  I consider myself a conservative and religious individual, so sharing my personal opinion on subjects like Christianity and Buddhism amongst my liberal, agnostic peers wasn’t always easy. I became very much more aware of the words I said and the words I heard. One commend a pper made struck me in particular:  “I don’t know if I’m being close-minded or if I just have strong values…” she mused.   

We often hear the words “open-minded” or “close-minded” to describe a person when it comes to sensitive topics of fundamental differences. With that, there exists pressure to appear open-minded so one does not seem stubborn or intolerant. But I often struggled with whether that also pressured us to give up or silence our own values for the sake of demonstrating that we could be flexible or accepting of everyone else’s values if ours weren’t good enough or in the minority.  Because many of the students on this program have ardent values, like eating vegetarian and supporting organic agriculture, there were many times when different perspectives certainly challenged us to question the foundational strength and validity of our beliefs.

So far, my interactions with the people in this program have led me to this conclusion: there is a fundamental difference between having a strong set of values and being “close-minded”. One should never have to compromise strong values in order to appear open-minded because strong values incorporate acknowledgment, awareness and understanding of other points of view. Developing a set of strong values through an understanding of multiple perspectives is only achieved by trial by fire.  The process of challenging and being challenged by others refines and reinforces our values; it doesn’t close our mind to all else. I’ve come to appreciate the program more by discovering the foundation behind the values of my peers and I possess a newfound respect for them and how they interact with the development of my own. Here’s to kao niao and late-night conversation.