Publish at March 30 2026 Updated April 02 2026
The question of open-mindedness is not a simple one. It is often perceived as a way of backing away from one's own thoughts, values and so on, when in fact it is not a way of convincing. As this exchange with a psychosocial counsellor reminds us, the idea is above all to understand that the other is a human being and to develop empathy in order to explain where he or she comes from.
She gives the very Quebecois example of field hockey, which can be a divisive subject if we focus on teams, but if we concentrate on what we love about the sport, we find common ground.
So, when it comes to mental health issues, an open-minded attitude on the part of those around us and society at large is essential to help people navigate through the different emotions they feel. This requires a genuine interest in the problem in question, whatever it may be, and even more so in what the sufferer is experiencing.
Of course, it can be easy to simply dismiss the person's thoughts as strange or not grounded in reality. But that's forgetting that the individual's thinking has developed in this way for all sorts of reasons (many of them unknown), and that mocking or frustrating oneself brings nothing but shame to the other person.
Running time: 31min34
Image: Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
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