THE DANGERS OF NARROW-MINDEDNESS – reproduced from the Daily Observer’s Youth Matters by Musa Krubally (August 5th 2001). Narrow-mindedness is really dangerous and it hampers development in any given country. It is defined as LACKING TOLERANCE OR NOT HAVING THE MENTAL FACULTY TO SEE BEYOND THE SUPERFICIAL AND SEE THE UNDERLYING TRUTH. Currently, this tendency appears to be widespread in all segments of communities. The primary reason for this deplorable condition is ignorance, the inability to recognise this deficiency and take corrective action. This situation is further aggravated IF THE IGNORANT PERSON CONSIDERS HIMSELF TO BE THE EPITOME OF WISDOM, AND IF, HE WAS IN A LEADERSHIP OR HIGHLY VISIBLE POSSITION; he could cause unnecessary harm to family, a community or an entire nation. Absence of insight can also cause narrow-mindedness by having a negative effect on one’s thought processes. INSIGHT IS A RARE VIRTURE, AND QUITE DIFFERENT FROM IGNORANCE. A PERSON WHO LACKS INSIGHT MAY POSSES SOME KNOWLEDGE BUT DERIVES NO BENEFIT FROM IT DUE TO LACK OF ANALYTICAL SKILLS, while someone with insight assesses his or her knowledge of a situation and then selects and uses its relevant parts. Through insight, they are able to see what others may not. A rigidly traditional individual’s perceptivity, like that of a captive frog in a deep well, is able to function only within narrow parameters. He does not realise that there are boundless vistas of knowledge beyond the scope of the well, therefore, his mental and intellectual evolution remains stunted. HE IS UNABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE KNOWLEDGE BEYOND HIS LIMITED HORIZON. Blind imitation creates another obstacle to one’s intellectual growth. The two world wars of the past century are the perfect examples of this disability that can allow ruthless political or religious leaders to manipulate the minds of people who are unable to form their own objective views. SOME INDIVIDUALS HABITUALLY LOOK AT THINGS FROM ONE ANGLE AND ACCEPT THEM AS ACTUAL FACTS WITHOUT THINKING THAT THERE MAY BE A DIFFERENT SIDE TO THE ISSUE, OR THAT REALITY MAY ACTUALLY BE QUITE DIFFERENT FROM APPEARANCE. Furthermore some people are impressed by quantity at the expense of quality. A failure to prioritise or differentiate wrong from right often leads people to loose sight of the broader picture. Often people will focus on the immediate and disregard the potential disastrous effects of an action further down the road. Along with ignorance, narrow-mindedness and of course a lack of insight, these gaps usually prove detrimental to that individual’s future. And when the future of many individuals in a country is destroyed, the future of that nation is obviously bleak. All emphasis mine. Have a good day, Gassa. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------