Supple Minds
A lot of people feel threatened if they are being asked to question about their cherished beliefs or their perception of reality. Questioning is what keeps our minds supple and strong. Simply settling on one way of seeing things and refusing to be open to other possibilities, makes the mind rigid, and generally creates a restrictive, uncomfortable atmosphere. We know someone who refuses to budge on one or more issues. We may have our own taboos that could use a little prodding. Being open-minded, means we are willing to question everything and anything, including things we take for granted.
A willingness to question everything, even those things we are right about, can reinvigorate our minds, opening us to understanding people and perspectives that were alien to us before. This alone is good reason to remain inquisitive. In the Zen tradition, this willingness to question is known as beginner’s mind, and it has a way of generating possibilities we couldn’t have from the point of view of knowing something with certainty. The willingness to question doesn’t necessarily mean we don’t believe in anything at all, and it doesn’t mean we must question every single thing in the world every minute of every day. It simply means we are humble enough to acknowledge how little we actually know about the mysterious universe and planet we call home.
A commitment of staying inquisitive in our own individual lives will lead us to new personal revolutions and truths, truths that we will hopefully, for the sake of our growth, remain open to questioning.
