Don’t jump into the ocean and expect NOT to get wet. In the same way, as soon as you open your mind to learn and grow, as soon as you begin to study and read and look with an eye towards learning new information, new facts, you will change, it is inevitable. Just as swimming makes your clothes soaked, you cannot help but take in the new information and change accordingly. (Not rumor and conspiracy theory here, but actual facts and knowledge.) It will change you, grow you, and there will be no going back.
And learning is addictive.
Fortunately, we live in a time where information on Astronomy, Archeology, Biology, Sciences of all kinds, History, key figures that have made a difference, war, philosophy, religion… it’s all at our fingertips. There literally is no excuse for ignorance these days.
Well, “busy-ness” it’s legit. Many don’t have time to learn, or so they think. But even if you made a point of reading a book a month (and outside of subjects–or religions–you’ve studied before) you will learn and grow and change. I say that about “outside of your religion” simply because censorship is WRONG and it’s one of the wrongest wrongs that has ever been wrong. Being told NOT to read something is as good as saying “I intend to keep you down, limit your knowledge, control you.” There are universes of knowledge, information, stories, that need to be read, must be read, if we are to grow and heal. If we are to learn not to hate “race x” then we must read their stories, know them, seek understanding. Same with religion x or political party x. Read and study all of it, get out of your box, gather information, read, study, think. Stimulate the little grey cells.
Then give yourself time, however long it takes, to go deep within yourself and find out what YOU think. Not your mama or your preacher or teacher, but YOU. This is how we grow.
Make friends with people outside of your age/race/sexual identification/religion. Be open.
Open your heart. Open your mind.
Your world will grow.
It’s fear, simply put. Fear of putting aside tradition or what he or she taught you. How it’s always been.
We accepted fire, and indoor plumbing, we need to be open to accepting more new things. It’s how we grow. It’s how we change.
And change is GOOD. (Painful at times, but very good.)