Saturday, 12 October 2019

Open your mind, only gates need to be kept closed.

close the gate sign

Like last weekend I kept it close to home. It's not cold, but a soaking was not in my plans.

This time I was out on my road bike so I added an extra climb. The route is gently up and down with only one serious climb. It was at the bottom of this hill I noticed the gate in the picture above.

It got me thinking about the many issues in the headlines at the moment. And how the internet generates a lot of discussion. It's a shame most is from closed minds. Maybe people should be fined for not having an open mind. There is nothing wrong with being passionate about your views or beliefs. It only becomes a problem when you are blind to differences.

Think of any subject, do a search on the internet, and you will be faced with polarised groups.

A few good rules I use to decide if I want to comment on an opinion are;

Check for name calling. A sure sign that one or both sides have nothing contructive to say.

Are facts quoted, without any checking? A lot of the time it's biased interpretation, highligting just part of the report, or just plain lies. If enough people share this, it takes on a false lagitimacy.

Another good one is to label people, it's much easier to shout this at anyone you don't agree with than to listen. It's usually a sign you don't have anything else to say.

I'll sign off now.

Be kind, and listen.

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