Aristotle

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

I've been pondering this quote that I found on pinterest for a couple days now. I've been thinking about people and their strong opinions and feelings about particular topics. Now no one loves a strong opinion more than I do. I think that strong character and holding onto what you believe and standing up for those beliefs is very endearing, however I also think there's a lot to be said about a person who can listen to others opinions, and not just listen with the motive of rebuking or arguing, but listening with the intent of learning. In devotional on Tuesday the speaker, Brother Huff, talked about the amazing lessons we can learn from other religions. For instance, the Muslims are great example of prayer and the Jews are great examples of keeping the sabbath day holy. So many people think that their religion is the best, or the only way, and while I am a firm believer that there is only one true church on the earth, I do believe that there is much to be learned and improved upon from others and their ways and beliefs.
One of my goals for the new year is to be better at listening to other people's ideas and perspectives, even if I don't accept them, there is no harm in letting people try and convince me of something, and who knows, I may actually agree with or accept something they say.