There is no specific definition for the term open-minded. However, the word is often perceived as someone who accepts or embraces certain behaviour, certain way of interaction and most of all wearing certain way of clothing. The most common perception will be of that being open-minded refers to ladies who wear sexy outfit, the lesser clothing they wear, the more open-minded they will be. I am sure everybody has their own version or definition of the term open-minded and it definitely differs from one person to another.
Therefore a typical implied definition would be..sexy, open to talk about anything and open to conduct any types of behaviour. I am not in a position to tell you which one is right or which one is wrong, but one thing's for sure being an open-minded person would possess the following attributes:-
1. Religious or Religion Compliant Person.
As a Muslim, Islam is my way of life. Therefore, I and my fellow brothers and sisters in Islam strive to be the best Muslims we can be on a daily basis, give our heart and soul in it and being compliant means we have to be open- minded.
You are an open-minded person when you strive your best in embracing your beliefs, you may be a Muslim, Buddhist, Christian or Hindu. The moment you truly understand the teachings of your Religion, that is when you become an open-minded person.
How? We accept differences and we embrace similarities.
The differences make us ponder and observe and realise that we are different in so many ways. The Muslim ladies wear the Hijab or cover themselves to be compliant in order to obtain peace in life as it minimises the risk of inviting evil eyes. No one in this whole wide world has the right to say or criticise how we wear our Hijab, or why we wear it, we never question why there are so many ladies wearing less clothing like those super stars or celebrities, we do not question why Jlo wears the way she wears. The best thing is when people associate wearing the Hijab with narrowed mindedness? It' just a piece of cloth and it does not shrink our thinking ability. I mean who came up with this term? I am not trying to preach here, I am just trying to bring readers to review the meaning of the word 'open-minded'.
Sometimes, I see and hear people talking about other people's flaws and mistakes, they keep talking about it and sometimes I feel like as if they are being paid to do the job. Or have you ever heard people criticising about how people talk, or walk, or dress, or body language and all of the other stuffs? It's like everything else looks horrible, come on....is that what we call being open-minded?
Again, being open-minded means that we accept differences and we know that no one in this world is perfect, and we understand that God created us differently so that we learn for one another, building strength from differences and strengtening ties with similarities. So, isn't being Religious means being open-minded? Yes, we love each other because our Creator asks us to do so, and by being open minded, we are able to work on our differences.
2. Positive outlook in life
I truly believe that the world is how we see it. If we see it with a pair of spectacles with squeaky clean lens, we will be able to see the beauty and the glorious wonders of the world. Some people might say, maybe it's easy for me to say and I may not know the life experience of others, it may be bad experience or good experience. But one thing I do know that we are born equipped with basic tools to live. We are equipped with the same human conscience and human brain. The main difference is our choices in life. That is to embrace positive or negative outlook in life. As simple as that.
So, next time when people mention the word 'please...be open minded!' you can tell them to re-think and it is not all about sexiness or openness to everything that is against the teachings of Religions.
But it is about when a person does not judge, does not make any conclusions or penalises someone or something which he or she is unsure of and accept those things as it is. Remember, we as human beings love to judge, but we will not do that if we are 'open minded' people. a.k.a. Religion Compliant People.
Wallahualam.... Allah knows best....
Hakmilik Terpelihara Rosita Arman Michael 2011
very true!
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