Comments on: Shades of Gray

By: Niall Doherty

Niall Doherty — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:45:12 +0000

I love the “Beginner’s Mind” concept, especially when I’m starting into something new. I try to view my inexperience as an advantage; I should be able to see alternative — and perhaps better — ways of doing things, different from the status quo.

Thanks for reading and commenting, Derek.

By: Derek Martin

Derek Martin — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:23:09 +0000

Closely related to “Beginner’s Mind”, a concept in Zen Buddhism referring to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would.

By: Niall Doherty

Niall Doherty — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:15:05 +0000

Thanks for the comment, Liam.

I think your last point is key. Accepting that there’s very rarely one superior solution or viewpoint means that you’re more open to the beliefs of others. It doesn’t mean you believe everything you hear, but that you take it all into consideration and try to see how it fits with your own worldview. Sometimes there will be conflicts that you can’t resolve, and you just have to live with them.

By: Liam Friel

Liam Friel — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 08:55:17 +0000

I think what Jamie was getting at is if you cant find the balance – believe in one solution, in America guns are an issue, in the UK where guns have always been controlled gun crime has stayed minimal for a long time.

I like the approach of believing in a foggy reality – it stops you from being ignorant to other peoples beliefs!