How much better would this world be if more people followed these two instructions?
Usually, what we see is the exact opposite, people with closed minds and open mouths. These people think that they already know everything that they need to know, and are very vocal about how their beliefs are right and everyone else is wrong.
You can see this pattern in just about every area of life, from religion and politics to martial arts and life in general.
A closed mind never expands or grows.
It never learns anything new. It shuns new experiences, different cultures, and new ways of doing things. It closes doors before they ever open.
It lives in its own small world of biases, prejudices, and irrational thinking.
It never opens the blinds and looks outside to see what else the world has to offer.
At the same time the person with a closed mind,
talks constantly about subjects which he or she does not fully understand,
as if they are all knowing, and
with such certainty that they cannot hear any arguments to the contrary. In addition,
by constantly talking,
they never really hear any views, facts, or truths which may dispute anything which their mind has already accepted as the truth.
Open your closed mind, close your open mouth, listen, and learn.
You do not know everything, in fact, you know very little of our your own world, the world we live in, or the universe.
Have enough self-confidence that you can listen to opposing viewpoints,
the teachings of different teachers, and facts or theories which may challenge what you have been taught to believe.
Let facts and truth be your guide, instead of blindly holding on to beliefs simply because that is what you have always believed.
Listen more and speak less.
This is the way of the wise.
ps/smoh
