The Infallibility of the Closed Mind

I was watching Trading Spouses on Fox(?) the other night. I don't watch it regularly, but have caught some episodes here and there. It is actually an interesting show, giving us an intimate peek into the inner workings of families different from our own. In case you haven't seen or heard of it, they take two families with seemingly opposite ideals and ways of life and switch either the mothers or the fathers for a week.

I would think it would be an interesting situation: you spend a week someplace new with some new people and you get to experience their life a little and get to show them your life a little. In the end, you get $50,000 for doing it. Not bad...actually, it sounds fun. If I had children (they seem to only choose families with children, which is understandable), I would probably sign up. I wouldn't be chosen though, because I wouldn't make for interesting TV.

There is one thing this show makes clear, though (at least to those who pay attention). What it makes clear is the fact that a large part of our society incredibly closed-minded. In fact, most, if not all, of the closed-minded individuals their way of life and their ideals are the only way, end of story. Why? What makes one person's lifestyle the best thing for everyone? Why must they force it on everyone? It seems that so many people come on that show determined that they are going to change the way the other family lives. Some try to force others to go to church and prayer groups, while others try to force families to become vegan. Let the child drink soda: if his parents let him drink it and you come in for a week trying to force him to quit, do you think you'll make a positive impression on his life? No. These people are given a wonderful opportunity to share their culture (and it is amazing how many cultural differences there are throughout our nation) and experience another, but instead they turn into missionaries.

This current episode seems to be the most interesting yet, with the vegan woman joining a Cajun family in Louisiana. She seems unwilling to take in any of their incredibly rich culture; instead choosing to complain about their cruelty to animals, the fact that they eat meat and little vegetables, and attempt to force them to eat healthier. It's sad: she has a good message, but goes too extreme. Everything is best in moderation; when you go too far, you annoy people and they become less interested in your side than they were before you began speaking.

Well, that was a bit of a rant that didn't really follow a logical path. Therefore, in summary: be open-minded, don't force your ways on others, and appreciate the opportunities to share your lifestyle with others in exchange for a taste of their lifestyle. Also, a tip for being open-minded: always assume you are being closed-minded and that you can work a little harder to be open minded. Doing that makes it harder (though not impossible) to fall into the trap of closing our mind and assuming ourselves to be infallible.