#8 Be open-minded

#8. Be open-minded. Being open-minded means that when you see a problem, you view the problem without pre-conceived notions about its solution. Of course, you can never be entirely open-minded, you have a frame of reference that you have developed over the years. This is why you need to be selective about what you receive and keep in your frame of reference.
Now, how does that translate to your life. What you read, what you see, who you associate with, what kind of upbringing you have, many other items make up the way you look at life. If you were Adolph Hitler when he was growing up, he associated with Anti-Zionist in Vienna, and read racist material he discussed items of interest with only certain groups of people. All this helps to form the man he became.
What can you do to help keep an open mind:
Listen to all sides of the issue before you, not only one particular side. After you have done this, select your position based on your judgement of the situation.
Read/watch neutral based books and shows. Read the Christian Science Monitor instead of race-based, conservative only books, liberal only books, try to see all sides so you can make a neutral based decision. Don't only listen to one side on the radio/tv. Watch all the news channels, not only one. Perhaps CNN news attempts to be the most neutral, however, they have been charged with liberal leanings. Foxnews is accused with being conservative in their leaning. What do these terms mean? Conservative is usually associatied with the Republican party. It represents the beliefs that free enterprise should not be burdened with governmental regulations or infringing on their profits. They are strict constitutionalist in interpreting the constitution. Liberal people usually try to keep an open mind. They feel that government is necessary to help the less fortunate and to watch over free enterprise for wrong doings. Of course there is much more to these, however, as you develop your frame of reference please read both sides of the issue. I am leaving this open for your questions. Please comment with your specific questions and I will try to answer them to your satisfaction.

What should an Educated Citizen Be Able to do?

An educated person should:

1. Be able to make conscious, informed decisions in the public sphere and in their private lives and be able to explain their reasons for the decisions.

2. Understand and evaluate their own and other''s decisions.

3. Understand their values and moral beliefs and how and why they may differ from those of others. Be able to accept and address criticisms of his/her values and beliefs.

4. Be able and willing to regularly engage in questioning the forces, institutions, and belief systems that shaped not only his or her own values and beliefs, but those of teachers and classmates, the university and larger community as well.

5. Be able to think for himself/herself.

6. Be able to engage in discussions about political and economic issues that affect his or her community.

7. Be able to lead.

8. Be open-minded.

9. Be able to communicate and listen effectively.

10. Be able to conceptualize a problem and solve it.

11. Be able to consider ethical issues thoughtfully.

12. Understand that learning is a continuous lifelong process.

13. Be able to think critically, creatively, and independently.

14. Be flexible in order to adapt to changing economic and social conditions, new workforce needs, and the demands of a multicultural society.

15. Be able to explain and use the ideas and principles underlying the major areas of modern knowledge.

16. Be a good citizen based on their knowledge of democracy.

The above items were taken from "Summary of Comments Made on the Educated Citizen List Service, Fall 2003" Some of those items were taken from the California Education Code 66050 and 66070, also from an article in September/October issue of Change: "Teaching students to think."

I will continue the Blog going through each of the above trying to give examples for easier understanding.