How to have peace – here’s one way.
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
– Aristotle
Who was Aristotle
Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher and scientist. Plato taught him and he tutored Alexander the Great.
An Educated Mind
When Aristotle talks about an educated mind I don’t think he means a college degree. Actually, you can get through a university and still not have what he referred to as an educated mind.
I think in our terms he meant an open mind. In his time if you were open minded then you probably put at least a little bit of your effort into philosophy, which was his area of expertise.
An Open Mind
An open mind means just that. Open minded people entertain many ideas, possibly conflicting ones, and see both the good points and bad.
Open minded doesn’t necessarily mean wishy-washy. Hanging out with open minded people can be a lot of fun. They pick a particular side, not necessarily the one they believe in, and debate it. They toss the idea around and see how it holds up.
How to Have Peace
But that’s as far as it goes – a lively debate. Nobody gets angry because everyone understands, or at least acknowledges, both sides.
The way I see it, there are 2 reasons for conflict, whether between two children or two countries:
- You have it and I want it
- You’re wrong and I’m right
We’re just dealing with the second one here.
“You’re wrong and I’m right” is a very closed minded stance, usually represented by your arms folded across your chest.
The nice thing about that stance is it doesn’t take much effort to expand your arms outward until they become an embrace. You don’t have the embrace the ideas, just the holder of those ideas.
Then comes understanding, negotiation, and peace.
Your Thoughts?
What are your thoughts? Can we have peace and understanding. Leave me a comment below and please share this with your friends on social media.
Oh, and trust helps too. Check out yesterday’s quote of the day about trusting yourself.
