Quote:
Originally posted by Ideal08
I concur!
I, too, appreciated CodeBlue's hidden meanings of the colors and symbols of Halloween (even though it's not in this thread). Now, those were things I had NEVER seen before. You learn something new everyday, even if it's from someone who has an opposing POV. Not to mention, it makes you think about your belief system. None of us are so full of ourselves that we can't waiver from our current opinions, y'know?
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Okay so first off, why are you and I not working today
!! 'Cause I sure have a lot of stuff I need to be doing. I think I'm already on weekend mode.
Sorry this is so long, but here it goes.
Now why is that I can tell that you (Ideal08) and I are no longer in college
!! Your last three sentences are exactly what I say all the time. Matter of fact, my boyfriend and I were just discussing this type of stuff last night. It's funny how at every point in your life, you think you know so much. But as you get older and approach a new part of your life, you realize that maybe you don't know as much as you thought you did.
Not that one's beliefs, values, or morals should necessarily change ('cause mine haven't too much), but your viewpoints on certain issues will. I've always considered myself a very strong minded and opinionated person (others consider me that too, so what
) but for these years since I've graduated college, I've realized that a few (just a few
) things I thought weren't really my thoughts afterall. They were either my family's, teachers, friends, etc. And it wasn't my fault, I just hadn't been challenged yet on certain particular issues. And on those few issues, I didn't necessarily stop thinking them, I just had to fully understand WHY I thought them. You know, and not just repeat it or think it because that's what I've always heard or been told. Once you graduate college and become a full fledged adult (meaning not just being 18 or 21, but being independent financially, mentally, spiritually, physically) and experience a lot more, I think you really start to understand that the real lessons of life are just beginning and there's a lot more for you to learn over time. You learn how to accept, not necessarily adopt them, but accept that other people have different point of views. You also realize that at each point in your life be it 25, 40, 80 years old, you're going to have to reassess yourself. I see how my grandparents who are usually stuck in their ways actually appreciate my opinion on things because they know that I may have encountered something that, even in all of their years, they didn't know about. Point: don't be so into your own opinion that you're not open to hearing an opposing view because you might just miss an important piece of knowledge.
I alway say that having your views, beliefs, values, and thoughts challenged should do one of three things:
1. Reinforce what you already thought, believed after REALLY listening to and understanding an opposing opinion
2. Add a little bit to what you thought or believed
3. Totally change what you thought, believed, etc. (which shows you must have not really believed it to begin with)
Any three of these things will (or at least should) broaden your perspective and make you more accepting of others opinions. Either way I think one needs to be challenged from time to time just to be sure that you know why YOU think what you think as well as to make sure that you're not just holding onto views and beliefs because that's all you ever known or encountered.
While I know personally, that I think my family, friends, teachers, etc. laid a great foundation for me on several aspects, it's up to me on a regular basis to ensure that I completely understand why I think, feel or believe something.