The Essentiality of an Open Mind in Today’s Society by Zahra

The Essentiality of an Open Mind in Today’s Society by Zahra - March 2017 Scholarship Essay

As the end of senior year nears, so does the possibility of giving a speech at graduation; prompting the question: which message would most benefit my class? What words do I want to resonate within the minds of my classmates as we all begin our venture out into the world? Considering current events and my own personal experience, I believe the best message I could give to my classmates is one of acceptance. A crucial topic I would like to give a speech about to my classmates is the importance of an open mind.
An open mind is defined as, “a mind receptive to different opinions and ideas.” In application to society, someone with an open mind would be defined as an individual open to the different opinions, beliefs, and cultures around them. This mindset becomes especially necessary in a country such as the United States of America, which is, in fact, nicknamed “the melting pot” due to the wide variety of cultures and people that provide the make up of the nation. In the absence of an open mind, however, exists ignorance, or the “lack of knowledge or information.” An individual that fails to be receptive to the different opinions, beliefs, and cultures around them will, instead, lack knowledge of the people that surround them, therefore classifying them as ignorant.
The ignorance of one individual can negatively affect the success of another. I can attest to this with personal experience; growing up as a minority and young Muslim woman, I have experienced more instances of ignorance than I can count. I have encountered this in a variety of forms; derogatory comments, slurs, misinformed opinions being a few. Combatting this while simultaneously navigating adolescence was a grueling uphill battle. Many can attest to the fact that learning to know and love oneself is a long, difficult process. It is, however, an equally necessary one, as success and peace of mind cannot be granted without doing so first. Such a process was made even more difficult for me when faced with ignorance. Peers would provide this by asking ridiculing questions, like when I would blow up the school, or why I was allowed to wear a “hat” -- a derogatory reference to my hijab -- at school when no one else could. Extremely insulting posts on social media were made, including a poll that questioned whether Muslims should be put in concentration camps or deported all together. Dealing with such ignorance made it difficult for me find confidence in myself and my religion, which, in turn, hindered me on the road to personal success. I found comfort in those around me that stood up for me -- those with an open mind -- who encouraged me to take advantage of my situation. They were receptive to the fact that I was different than most around me, and urged me to take pride in it, strive for success regardless, and educate those around me about which they were ignorant. Though I have now reached a point of personal comfort where I am able to attain success and truly know myself, I can’t help but recognize how much easier it would have been if more of my peers had had an open mind.
On a larger scale, ignorance can effectively disrupt the concord of a nation. Examples of this can be seen in today’s politics; it is easy to see that there is a significant portion of the population that lacks an open mind. In its place exists ignorance as people refuse to obtain knowledge about other cultures. For example, as a result of the campaign and eventual election of President Trump, the rights of American minorities and Muslims were threatened as talk of deportation circulated. Such possibilities were discussed as a result of widespread belief in stereotypes rather than obtaining true knowledge about other peoples, a form of ignorance. For instance, the stereotype that Mexicans are lazy and illegally come to the United States just to steal jobs from Americans was promoted, and the result was the proposal of building a wall along the southern United States border to keep them out. In addition, the stereotype that all Muslims are terrorists resulted the in the “Travel Ban;” an executive order on behalf of President Trump that prohibits immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries from entering the US. Both of these are examples of creating misinformed generalizations on large populations based on the actions of just a few individuals -- true examples of ignorance. The consequence of this has been mass protests worldwide, disrupting peace as people react to the outrageous injustice of robbing rights in the name of ignorance. Current events show just how crucial maintaining an open mind is in our society; without it, dire consequences such as injustice and the disruption of peace can result.
In light of current events and my personal experiences, I think a speech that encapsulates the importance of an open mind would most benefit my peers. If they let the concept become ingrained and develop such a mindset, they will go into the world with a sense of acceptance. This is important, and even world-changing -- with such a nature, our generation will be able to avoid the tragedies we see today, like injustice and disruption of peace in society, or the hinderance of success for some as a result of pure ignorance.