Open And Shut Cases - Grasshopper

I’ve watched my fair share of Perry Mason and Law & Order episodes to have witnessed many open and shut cases. This writing has nothing to do with the law and everything to do with you.

Here’s a question to ponder: Are you an open or shut case?

Shut is closed off to everything that doesn’t fit into our neatly arranged model of the world. We basically know everything there is to know and, sadly, with that mindset, we can’t grow.

Open is a willingness to entertain something new that, perhaps, on first blush, may seem askew. But after exploring it from many angles, we find that it can teach us something new.

Labeling ourselves often results in a shut case. “I’m an adult, onset, diabetic and I’ll be that way for the rest of my life.” Too many adult, onset, diabetics to count have discounted that label and turned to scientifically tested diets that have reversed their condition. They opened to information they used to shut out.

Open is being open to possibilities, not shackled by negativity.

“That’s just the way I am” is a shut case. They can’t be helped unless they open a window and let in some fresh air, rather than declaring, “au contraire.”

I find that people who like to argue are shut cases. Their arguments are so well formed and ingrained that they fail to realize they close out every thing that might lead to new insights as they keep spouting their same locked-in refrain.