I’ve known a lot of people who used to be open-minded, interested in new ideas, kind of “in love” with understanding other’s perspectives. Over time, these same people become closed off, convinced that they hold the truth and everyone else is just ignorant. They are set in their ways, inflexible. In other words, they become old farts.
You know, you still love them because they are part of your family, or a close friend. However, in the quiet places of your mind, you think, “You have become such an old codger!”
So my question is this; how do we avoid becoming so rigid? How do we maintain our core values and continue to interact with the world around us in a way that is active and creative? Is it even possible?
Is “old fartishness” inevitable?
