The Art of Saudi Open-mindedness

The Art of the Saudi Open-Mindedness

Aristotle once said, "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary defines the word (open- minded (adjective)) as; willing to listen to, think about or accept different ideas. However, the word has started -like many other words- to be twisted to accommodate whatever meaning one intends to employ.

In Saudi, particularly among the youth, the word open-mindedness has misleadingly become an equivalent to daring to absorb whatever bizarre ideas thrown by the dust. If, under any circumstances, their idea was not welcomed, open-minded claimers should "practice what they preach" and be open-minded enough to "entertain" different mentality perspectives.

Open-mindedness simply means one is tolerant enough to embrace differences; divert religions, cultures, concepts, opinions and characters. You are not asked to affirm them; you are only expected to entertain their presence.

To provide more elaboration; any Saudi woman before traditionally gets married, she does have every right to be acquainted with the person she is to spend the rest of her life with. I mean to sit with, converse with, and test the frame of mind of her future husband- the longest time possible. Intensive investigations done by the family about the man who proposes, does not at all grant neither full, nor fair picture of the promised knight. Now, dear reader, if you happen to be open-minded, you will be able to "entertain" this idea, but may not necessarily "accept" to practice it.

The idea that "some" Saudi women are able to live abroad alone might be hard to digest to many conservative minds. I say "some", as reliability is not a general rule here -applied for both genders-. Many Saudi women have indeed proved themselves to be trusty to study or work overseas to support themselves and their families, without the need for a masculine company- mihram.- This, of course, does not change the fact that living alone in, by all means, atypical country is challenging, however it is indeed a touch stone for both genders, not only for the weaker sex. Conservatives here, may find religious path to oppose and run away, nonetheless, reality keeps spotting many such outstanding Saudi female individuals. Now, dear open-minded reader, you have the option to either "entertain" this idea, or simply "accept" it.    

A must "awakening" in terms of respect for difference without necessarily remodeling our prospects, crucially needs to be implemented. If we are seeking to change the world around us, let us start by amending ourselves first.