The Benefits of Being Open-Minded

Infrastructure. Cuban tourism. NSA. Global warming. The words flow out of my mouth, scripted, rehearsed. For the nth time, the eighth year, I recite, "Hello, my name is Katie Liu, and I represent the Open-Minded Mount Olive Affirmative Team. My partner and I support the resolution, be it resolved..."

The familiarity in these first ten seconds is short-lived. Soon, counter-arguments are improvised, under the pressure and scrutiny of our adversaries. Questions are fired, each one aiming to subdue and render the other speechless. Each debate yields its own unique twists and turns; although our affirmative case remains verbatim, the variety of responses that are received opens our minds to overlooked obstacles. It expands our horizons and forces us to think on our feet, attempting to articulate on an infinite amount of possibilities. The manner in which we present ourselves determines the victor of the round. Nevertheless, one inevitable truth rings clear. The victor neither yields a solution in any form, nor gives the slightest indication of what is "right". In the end, the negatives may seem like our worst enemy, yet they are our closest friend. In the midst of pressure, an underlying notion remains constant: we are all on the same side. The beauty lies in the contention, the ability to subtly and even unknowing work together to bring about a seemingly impossible resolution. This is the beauty of being open-minded.

Perspective is key. A complex world of issues brings about an unfathomable variety of viewpoints. The unattainable concept of attempting to achieve a singular solution, a "best of all possible worlds", leads to an unpredictability of the world that makes room for an ability to harness an open mind, and to synthesize and break out of a shell of bias. The subjective nature of "right" and "wrong" leaves a multitude of gray area, resulting in a conglomeration of jumbled up ideas, discord, and a perceived inability to come to any form of resolution. Overwhelmingly enough, the intersection of opposing views instills an understanding within me to become receptive to all outlooks, accepting all as justified on their own basis. After all, what is the determining factor of moral justness? Acknowledging moral relativity thus emphasizes the importance of embracing rather than rejecting contradictory views, and diverges from parochial outlooks.

Soon after the round ends, the negatives are warm smiles as we exchange compliments and insight, "I liked how you brought up a point we completely overlooked!" We soon transcend the roles we take as "adversaries" as we fully integrate the other's contrasting views into our own. Simultaneously, we cultivate a humility at the grandiosity of issues. Regardless of what topic is given every year, being a member of the varsity debate team has exercised for myself a flexible mindset, opening up to new possibilities. Just as the appreciation of multifaceted interpretations of musicians are based upon individual preference, so too does intellectual advancement find its roots not in a firm notion of what is "right", but paradoxically, in the acknowledgement of the lack of truth.