Blog 539 – 01.29.2017

A Closed Mind Is Like A Closed Book…

Many of my non-Christian friends think I quote the Bible too much and many of my Christian friends think I will burn in hell for not believing that, “The Bible is without error in whole or in part.” So much for pleasing all of the people all of the time. You got that one right, Abe. Books, all books are written by men and women and we get it wrong sometimes. The so called “holy books” are revered and quoted in most cases to support a particular point of view. The bigger the book the greater the chances you will find something in it to support your case no matter how hair-brained it may be. These holy books have been used to justify some of the worst behavior on this earth. What is true is true no matter where it is written and the opposite is equally true.

I ate at a Chinese restaurant recently and got the following fortune cookie truth, “A closed mind is like a closed book; just like a block of wood.” Is that trying to say closed minded people are block heads? I think it is. And yes, I know the main thrust of the remark is that an unopened book cannot enlighten our minds. I find it very hard to believe that all knowledge can be contained in one book or even many or that the book is closed on truth. I have read the books of Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. I understand that many people like Paul Ryan think those books are a sort of Twentieth Century Gospel. Ayn Rand made some good points but her belief that powerful capitalists are any less susceptible to corruption than communists is I think a big mistake. Our government of the people, by the people, and for the people was designed not just to promote freedom and liberty but to keep those freedoms in check so that the rich and powerful could not ride rough shod over the rest.

The programmers do not want you to read books with differing opinions, or watch news coverage that questions the status quo. The programmers hate protests, free speech, a free press, freedom of religion, regulations. I do not agree with all protests but I defend the protesters right to do so. Many of us have been sold a bill of goods that our democratic republic was founded on tax rebellion the issue was “taxation without representation.” If you think half of the country should just “shut up and let the folks in power do whatever they want” nothing could be more “Un-American.”

Close elections are not a mandate but a signal to moderate, to work for compromise, to find agreement, to try to build a more perfect union. Maybe I am preaching to the choir here but as I believe the book is not closed on truth I have to believe that many minds on all sides are are not yet closed to the ideas of peace, love, and understanding. If enough people stay open we could make this country better than it has ever been. If not we have not yet seen our darkest days. I am for opening our book and our mind to a better, brighter day.

Your friend and fellow traveler,
David White