When I worked as a nurse aide, I'd occasionally come across a resident whose hands had become closed into clenched fists.  As an aide, it was my job to clean those hands, to get under and in between the fingers, and to make sure there were no sores on the palms.  It was painful, I know it had to be so painful for the resident to stretch those arthritic joints.  I think keeping a closed mind is much the same way.   When we get set in our ways and refuse to see things differently, our minds are like those clenched fists.  Then, when we need to open our minds, it's painful, it's difficult to let go.  We need to learn to keep our minds supple, to see every angle, to step back and distance ourselves from the situation, so we can approach it better.  I've heard it said there are always two sides to an argument.  Can we also find a third?