Open-mindedness is always a good thing

Open-mindedness is a very popular concept in today's world as well as the idea of "tolerance." If you say you are open-minded, people will respect you and listen to you. While open-mindedness is good in some circumstances, it is my contention that is not good in ALL circumstances. I. Identifying the Danger. A fable by Aesop is as following: " Man and his son were once going with their Donkey to market. As they were walking along by its side a countryman passed them and said: "You fools, what is a Donkey for but to ride upon?" So the Man put the Boy on the Donkey and they went on their way. But soon they passed a group of men, one of whom said: "See that lazy youngster, he lets his father walk while he rides." So the Man ordered his Boy to get off, and got on himself. But they hadn't gone far when they passed two women, one of whom said to the other: "Shame on that lazy lout to let his poor little son trudge along." Well, the Man didn't know what to do, but at last he took his Boy up before him on the Donkey. By this time they had come to the town, and the passers-by began to jeer and point at them. The Man stopped and asked what they were scoffing at. The men said: "Aren't you ashamed of yourself for overloading that poor donkey of yours and your hulking son?" The Man and Boy got off and tried to think what to do. They thought and they thought, till at last they cut down a pole, tied the donkey's feet to it, and raised the pole and the donkey to their shoulders. They went along amid the laughter of all who met them till they came to Market Bridge, when the Donkey, getting one of his feet loose, kicked out and caused the Boy to drop his end of the pole. In the struggle the Donkey fell over the bridge, and his fore-feet being tied together he was drowned. "That will teach you," said an old man who had followed them: "Please all, and you will please none." " (http://www.pagebypagebooks.com...) In the above story, as you see, the man was constantly sacrificing his idea of the correct configuration to accommodate the new ideas constantly hurtling towards him. This demonstrates the danger we risk with open-mindedness; so much change in opinion that we don't even know what our own thoughts and beliefs are. Richard Dawkins once said "By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out." II. Identifying the Situation. Everyone, whether they know it or not, is close-minded about something. Sometimes, a person will say, fully believing it, that they are open-minded, but their actions show more close-mindedness than open-mindedness. Some people are even close-minded about being open-minded. I am not saying my opponent has this problem, I am just saying that it is common. The things people are often most close-minded about are usually something that means a lot to them. Here's three examples of good close-mindedness: 1. Religious beliefs 2. Personal Convictions 3. A Filter for Information III. Identifying the Circumstances. 1. Religious beliefs Everybody needs to have what is called a "fixed point of reference." A fixed point of reference is what a person navigates through life by. If I am in a dark room with no corners and nothing in it, then I am lost in that room. I don't know where I am. But if I find a chair, then I can use it to discover how big the room is and where I am in the room. However, if I take the chair with me, then I am just as lost. I have nothing to help me navigate. If the chair has wheels and can easily move around, I would have a more difficult time finding my way around because not only do I not know where I am, I don't know where it is either. Open-mindedness, if we are not careful, will put wheels on the chair. Right and wrong is no longer absolute. If you are too open-minded you will find yourself buffeted with trying to change your opinions to fit all of the ideas you hear. We should not be open-minded to the point of surrendering our beliefs. There are some things that are worth being close-minded. Christian martyrs are people who were close-minded about their beliefs because they were convinced that their beliefs are true and were willing to die about said beliefs. 2. Personal Convictions. This is an extension of my previous argument. If I believe something is right strongly, I should not surrender it for the sake of being open-minded. If I have a conviction that extra-marital relations is wrong, I should not be open-minded to someone trying to persuade me otherwise. This concept is true in a variety of different circumstances. If I am convinced that something is not right, I should not force my opinion on others, but I should stay true to my convictions. I should definitely consider all my options before making a decision, but once I've made it, I should stick to it. Nobody likes someone who is always wishy-washy, always reconsidering. There comes a point where you need to go ahead with your convictions and ignore those voices trying to deter and distract you. 3. A Filter for Information. The fixed point of reference that I was discussing previously acts as a filter for a person's actions. Everyone uses their convictions as a lens by which they view the world with. The things you are close-minded about will determine what you are open-minded about. For example, if I am close-minded about the Bible's veracity because I have considered all the options and am convinced it is true, then I will be open-minded about whether or not a woman should wear skirts, but I will be close-minded to someone attempting to convince me that the Bible is fake. I will also behave a certain way because of the beliefs that I am close-minded about. IV. Identifying the Parameters. Now, I would like to make one important clarification before I close. The resolution is "Open-mindedness is always a good thing." I am not saying that open-mindedness is a bad thing in this debate. In fact oftentimes it is a very good thing indeed. However, as I have mentioned in this post, there are times where close-mindedness is a better stance. I am very much for open-mindedness in many areas, but it has a place, and we should be careful not to exalt it higher than it really deserves. I also hope I have not offended anyone by my arguments and eagerly await my opponent's rebuttal.