“Let all positive things come to us from everywhere”

So goes one ancient Vedic saying (Rgveda 1.89.1). That is the epitome of openness. On the other extreme, we have people who are closed to anything outside their limited boundaries and prefer to live in an imaginary world.

Almost every religion claims that it comes straight from the God’s mouth. Each patriot is too proud of his/her ancient tradition and believes that it is flawless. But it is rarely the case.

The right approach is to accept anything good, no matter from where it comes, and ignore inevitable shortcomings. Every religion, every country has something special to offer. And accept it without bias. But make sure that your openness does not lead to stupidity and gullibility.

Moreover, if you are in a position where your word has influence over the masses or if you have taken up a role to bring positive changes in the society at large, you have the responsibility to draw attention to negative things as well, and try to explain why they are not acceptable. Your silence can mislead others. But you always need to put your views in such a way that people see the reasoning behind your views and accept them willingly.