As I get older, I find there is a tendency for my perspective becoming increasingly focused and narrow based on past experiences and knowledge. What things do people here do to help with remaining open-minded to new experiences, new ways of thinking, new ways of doing things, etc., as they age?
Excellent question!
A small thing for me is to visit a new place. And I don’t mean it has to be across the state across the country or across the world. I mean just a new place in my town. Take an afternoon and do some thing different, see an historical site or an art museum or a new town.
Routine is an intellect killer.
I just read an article in “the American Gardener” magazine about how garden clubs need to change and grow with modern times. Good basic article about the general state of garden clubs and plant societies. It didn’t say anything new, but it summarized the problems in attracting new and younger audiences. Old routines and ways of doing things kill interest in the organization.
I think of one plant society I belong to that, while the national organization has its act together with digital communications and digital products, the regionals and the locals are just flailing about because they’re paper dependent.
That is too bad because they have such a good model at the national level as to what they should be doing.
This reminds me that I have a question to ask about zoom meetings, so I’ll go off on a different thread to ask it.
My mom was always the first to try new things, etc. I am trying to do the same.
It is hard to filter out all your past experience and wisdom to open yourself to new thoughts. I choose not to discard it altogether, but in the interest of cooperation and desire for tolerance across the board, I am willing to listen to new ideas...hoping that my experience will also be respected. I'm not willing to become set in my ways yet, but at the same time, not willing to be canceled just because I'm older. Times change and processes update. We need to adapt or get out of the way. That said, collective wisdom of past experience has a place in the discussion.
As for "trying new things"...I'm always up for that.
My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished two bags of M&Ms and a chocolate cake. I feel better already!
I'm kind of limited lately in the adventure department, but my interests are all over the place--not static, so I'm not worried about getting too focused. Too much focus has never been my problem anyway.
I try not to engage in discussions about "the good old days" and to remind myself that the world belongs to the younger generations. I'm just in the sidecar at this point in my life.
But, like others, I try to approach all things with "beginner's mind"--even those things I've done forever.
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
www.silententry.wordpress.com
I have changed some of my political beliefs completely in the last 2 1/2 years, so I think I'm openminded. Sometimes I worry though it will be too hard for me to move and adust to a new place and it will never happen. Still I signed up for a New Hampshire open house weekend next month.
I bet it will be a lot easier than you think. Once you settle on a potential community, rent a motel room for a week and explore. I'd been to Seattle several times before we crossed the bridge into Bellevue, and I'd found my place. It was nearly immediate. You might take longer.Originally Posted by Yppej
Remain curious about everything and get excited about possibilities. Try really hard to see the other side of things. Hang out with younger people and children sometimes. It has been very interesting to have spent most of my adult life in a very progressive city and the last five in somewhat the opposite environment. It feels like a time warp as attitudes here are often stuck in some other era. Old people (I'm one too) fussing about things like restricted lawn watering or electric cars.
Some of the big things don't matter nearly as much as they did and I find there are smaller things make me happy or are especially interesting.
I think as a generality among again people I am familiar with there is a tendency to be less tolerant and more critical. It does seem like a bit of a trap to avoid. I don't have any magic suggestions to help with that, but when you realize you're not going to live to be a hundred and there's not a lot of sense to being angry or bored between now and then, it makes a difference.
I'm not sure how important being open-minded is, as much as life is a learning experience.
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