We need to detach and explore the complete other side. This may sound deep, but I believe it is so simple.

I’m reading books on everything from technology (of course) to bonsai trees to how to make your own country. One book I read on cutting trees really exposed me to something. What I learnt about trees didn’t really matter and I probably won’t use that knowledge in my life ever, but it taught me something very simple.

The great wide open by Amir Jina

Let me explain to you what it taught me. I’ve been taught in school that trees are essential to humanity’s survival and existence. I think this is generally undisputed and most people would agree that trees are beneficial. I’ve also been taught that we need to protect our trees and cutting them down is the last thing we need to do. I had the belief that we need to protect trees and try to use other resources so that trees aren’t used. It seems simple, we need trees, so let’s not cut them down?

But from an environmental perspective, trees are a rewneable resource. Compared to fossil fuels which has taken millions of years to form, a full sized forest clear cut can be restored in 100 years, with wildlife and bio-diversity. Also, the majority of forests in the U.S. are privately owned. The reason there are forests is because we as consumers have a demand for wood, if we don’t, crops and food will be grown on that land. Crops and food cause permanent, irreversible damage to the environment. There is also a new book by the Greenpeace co-founder who advocates for buying more tree products as a way to support the environment.

This is of course just a quick summary but I was shocked that a view I held my whole life didn’t really make that much sense. I think we as humans become so attached to one view that we defended and supported that then suppressed all information that rejects or challenge the view. We love to be right, we try to have the one answer. But that doesn’t exist.

Every right view is a wrong view. Image by Sundy Zheng

I think this applies to anything, but one example is politics. How frequently do you hear a party straight up admit the competing party has a good idea? Both parties have good ideas, one party may have more good ideas than another, but at the end of the day no one really has the one solution. We can go back to my trees example. I thought hemp was the solution for saving our environment because industrial hemp can product 4-5 times more pulp than indigenous forests. However industrial hemp plantations don’t offer any bio-diversity and animals don’t live in them. So we don’t have one answer that fits all. Pros and cons to each, but not a universal one fits all solution.

After this experience of learning to not hold on to ideas and be more open minded, I’ve found a few things out. First, life isn’t simple and things are actually quite complicated. Secondly, because of this life is so much more interesting!

One example of a change I made is my view on religion. I had been fairly agnostic or atheist my whole life. I decided I was going to be more open and explore the religions of the world, instead of just rejecting everything about them. Since I’ve also had a generally uniformed and bad view of Islam my whole life, I started by going to a Mosque with a Muslim friend. I went in with a fresh, open mind and participated in their prayer and listened to a talk. I still don’t understand a lot of it and it didn’t all make sense to me, but I gained a lot of respect for the religion and think it has some value. I don’t have plans to practise Islam, but I consider it a valuable experience to learn about a different culture, instead of my view that I had the one answer or solution.

Let yourself be open and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable. A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed. ~ Siddhārtha Gautama

So I encourage you to share your view with me and I’ll respectfully listen. Try detaching from your view for a bit and listen to the polar opposite with an open mind to broaden your perspective. I think you’ll be suprised with what you discover.

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