An Active Mind (and Slave Judgments)

by kaylee{G}

“What objectivity and the study of philosophy requires is not an 'open mind,' but an active mind - a mind able and eagerly willing to examine ideas, but to examine them critically.”
- Ayn Rand, “Philosophical Detection,” Philosophy: Who Needs It

Lately, this slave has been listening to more than a few discussions on how open minded and non-judgmental people should be as a society/community ... and this quote sprang to mind. As a side note, the concept of “open minded” people trying to dictate how others should be is amusing.

But she wonders: if being open minded means accepting ideas as truths that she believes are abhorrent to her moral beliefs, or simply go against everything she believes in ... what has she gained by nodding along and accepting its validity without critically looking at the idea and accepting or rejecting it on its own merit? If “open mindedness” is always a goal to strive towards, why is our society not more open minded and accepting when it comes to rapists, murderers, pedophiles or people engaging in incest? These are examples of people who engage in behavior that is not widely tolerated by modern Western society.

kaylee does not believe it is in her best interests to live without judging on some level or another. Fortunately for her, neither does the man who owns her. She assesses ideas and situations, discerns the varying differences and determines the value of those ideas to herself. And if that makes her less than open minded, she accepts that. But she thinks that it’s unrealistic for some people to expect others to blindly accept all ideas as truth without making some level of judgment or assessment as to their merit- slave or not.

Likewise, she has the ability to form opinions about people. But as property owned by a Gorean man, she does not have the freedom to allow her opinions to affect her behavior, nor the right to express her opinions in any way she chooses. It has been helpful for her to understand that while she may find certain ideas not to be acceptable to her, they can certainly be acceptable for others. But just because others accept those ideas as valid does not mean she should.

That is why kaylee likes the term “active” mind. She doesn’t believe that she is close-minded. To her, that indicates a refusal to even consider new ideas. She is open to examining new ideas and experiences, and she has found she can accept living by her owner’s beliefs. But that doesn’t mean that in the long run, she will find the ideas applicable to her - unless her owner decides they are.

However, within her particular dynamic as owned property, she had to recognize that her owner’s beliefs may not be identical to hers in every specific situation. It’s not necessary that they should be, so long as she is able to operate within his beliefs rather than her own. If she is not, kaylee would take a step back to ensure this is a man to whom she can *wholly* surrender. It was critical for kaylee to be brutually honest with herself when considering this aspect before she became owned to avoid being placed in a potentially unhealthy situation.

Until next month, she wishes you well.
-kaylee{G}

kaylee has been the household property of Gabriel for over five years, and together they have shared their passion for writing on his website: www.gor-on-earth.com. Future topics, suggestions, feedback, and questions are always welcome. kaylee can be contacted at: kaylee@gor-on-earth.com