2022: How to practice open mindedness. Benefits of being open minded.
Today I have a very carefully considered topic I’ll be talking about. It took me a lot of time and thinking and observing to get to the point of speaking about this today. So what I’m talking about is how we should keep our minds open and how to be more accepting and less argumentative so we can see the truth and the lies easier.
Let me ask you something. Do you notice that sometimes when you share your idea or opinion, or you just come across a post on social media, there are often lots of comments with somehow judgemental tone?
Okay, maybe the idea was very controversial, but hold on - that doesn’t mean it can’t make a good point and make sense, right?
I want to talk about the science of open-mindedness today, and show you a practical example of how keeping your mind open can be very beneficial for you.
But before we go, I want to ask you something - what’s your personal definition for open-mindedness?
My definition is that an open mind allows you to be receptive to a variety of different ideas and information. In order to think critically and rationally in a way that you can benefit from that, you need to be receptive to perspectives and opinions. Do you agree with me?
Let me give you an example: recently I had a discussion when I clearly saw how important open-mindedness is. So some of the people in this discussion weren’t very positive about the new perspective I was sharing, so we often ended up having lengthy arguments that took us nowhere in the end. But on the other hand, I’ve had the same discussion with very receptive and broad-minded people, and let me tell you: I always ended up having a super fruitful conversation, and even learned new ways to approach this specific problem.
What I’m saying is that it’s difficult to see some important factors and points of an idea if you’re not open to other perspectives. And this will stop you from coming up with effective solutions.
That’s why this topic today is very important - because the ability to step outside of your comfort zone and consider different ideas is a key to learning and personal growth.
What I want to give you as an example of high-level open-mindedness, on a governmental level is a topic often considered… controversial, and even weird. Some people are so judgemental about it that mentioning it might end you up in arguments.
It’s psychic functioning that I’m talking about. This is the ability to see what is not being said. You know, using extrasensory perception to identify information hidden from the normal senses.
Whether we’re talking about psychic functioning, parapsychology or even just a higher level of extrasensory perception than usual, there are always very polarized opinions. And of course, those of us who have such abilities are often called ‘attention-seekers’ and blamed. I’ve gone through that myself many times, and I know those of you who have such abilities can relate too. It makes it intimidating and frustrating for us to share what we see, which is beyond the obvious, and I’ve caught myself many times preferring to skip sharing things than to share and receive negativity.
So, why is that important? And why did I make the connection with open-mindedness?
Well, while plenty of people are not very receptive to the idea of psychic functioning, the governments of different countries are very broad-minded about this. Already curious?
Did you know that CIA and researchers from the University of California made extensive research in this area?
The research was released by the CIA and I really want to quote a sentence from it here:
‘Research on psychic functioning, conducted over a two decade period, is examined to determine whether or not the phenomenon has been scientifically established. The second question is whether or not it is useful for government purposes.’
That’s what I call an open mind. They don’t say it doesn’t exist – they go and research it. And so it’s an official thing and the government has been using mediums and people with extrasensory perception for what they call ‘psychic espionage’.
Let me ask you a question: how do you think this whole thing started? What is it that made the government focus on psychic functioning and even do an extensive research on it?
It turns out that the scientific research may have never been supported if it wasn’t for a few psychic functioning events that drew attention. Let’s drift back to 1975.
The case was called ‘West Virginia Site’. What happened is that two remote viewers identified an underground secret facility very accurately, without having any information in advance. They named codewords and personnel in the facility, and it was so accurate that they had to kick off a security investigation to figure out how such accurate information could have leaked. The viewers first described the above ground event, and then described details of the hidden underground facility. That’s pretty crazy, isn’t it?
But hold on, the story goes on. After that as part of the research the viewers were provided the coordinates of sites in the Soviet Union. You know what happened? The viewers gave very accurate descriptions of the facilities. You can read about this in the report, it’s officially published by the CIA, or DM me and I’ll send you the link.
When I was reading the report I was thinking critically and wondering ‘okay, is there a chance they knew what they would be asked in advance?’
To make sure the information the viewers were giving was genuine, the researchers had very clear rules about the experiment. So there is no way they were secretly given any information. It’s clearly written in the report: ‘No one who has knowledge of the specific target should have access to the viewers before the experiment and the responses before the judging.’
So what I’m trying to say with this is that the government’s research on psychic functioning is a great example for open-mindedness. Because the fact that they researched it means they assumed it was possible, they didn’t just neglect it. And because they were receptive to the idea, they figured out it’s a real thing.
After they found out psychic functioning is a real thing, they were able to use it for government purposes and the so called psychic espionage. That’s what I meant when I said real broad-minded people see new perspectives and find solutions to problems.
Do you know that in 1980 a lieutenant from the US Army, John B. Alexander wrote an article about psychic functioning where he said: ‘There are weapons systems that operate on the power of the mind and whose lethal capacity has already been demonstrated.’
In his article he shared eye-opening information not just on American, but also on Soviet research into parapsychology. Can you guess what response he received on his article?
The Washington Post replied with huge scepticism right away, saying psychic research is ‘futuristic fantasies’, ‘hogwash’, and even called it ‘voodoo warfare’! Then so many articles followed expressing great scepticism that they made President Reagan wonder if it made sense to fund the research.
But wait right here. It’s easy for those who don’t believe to say that the people with psychic skills are crazy and just seeking attention. But can you guess when was the first recorded experiment of parapsychology?
It took place over 2500 years ago! The King of Lydia at that time felt threatened by the Persians and he wanted to know what they were planning. So he needed to find an oracle with proven psychic abilities. He sent messengers to all the oracles in the city and the oracles had to tell the messengers what the King of Lydia was doing at that time, and this way he could find the most talented of them.
Isn’t that shocking? There is a written, recorded experiment of psychic functioning 2500 years ago! And that’s not the only evidence of the occurrence that dates back centuries!
So, having all these facts and the successful experiments conducted by the researchers from the University of California, CIA was open-minded to accept it and that they can use it for government benefits.
I think this is a great example that shows what people receptive to controversial ideas can achieve if they accept the different points of view and decide to give them a try and check them out.
So what’s the right thing to do about controversial topics, what do you think? Is it right to say that people claiming they are seeing what is not said are attention seekers, or it’s right to trust them fully and without questioning?
Well, it turns out none of them!! There are reports and evidence for psychic functioning, so renouncing it is just not right! But also, it’s not okay to trust everybody claiming he or she has abilities, because there are people who are just seeking attention.
The only right thing to do first is to research and figure out the truth or at least a good amount of facts supporting whether it’s real or fake. Just research!
Just like the government did. See, the government didn’t rush to say ‘hey you, conspiracy theorists, you should shut up and sit down and stop talking nonsense’. Instead, they used professors and researchers from the University of California and made an assessment of the evidence for psychic functioning.
With all the examples I gave you from the research, what I want to tell you is that we can only benefit from being more tolerant and non-prejudiced to ideas we don’t seem to agree at a first glance.
It’s only beneficial for you to ask questions and be active and search for information, even if it challenges your beliefs. I think this government research on psychic functioning is a good example that even a dogmatic organization such as the CIA wants to hear what other people have to say.
In the end of the day, being open-minded and receptive can only be good for you and the others.
I’m curious to hear situations when you’ve had difficulties being open about what you think and believe and what was your reaction – how did this experience reflect on you? Maybe you have psychic abilities? Drop me a message on Instagram or Facebook and let’s talk about it!
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