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A consequence of this is that you may find yourself changing your views-- or at least being more open minded about things your friends don't approve of.

If it's just politics with no direct relevance to your life-- are you really better off that way? Is being more right or just more open minded about something that you have no influence do you any good if it alienates you from friends or family at all?

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Being more open minded allows me to maintain a friend group who's similarly open minded, and wouldn't ostracize me for holding opinions they don't approve of. From what I've seen this strategy works for most people, and life seems like it'd be really stressful otherwise; if I for example got a stalker and needed to start carrying a gun, I wouldn't want to be in a situation where my friends will abandon me if they find out.

I of course don't begrudge anyone who feels they have to keep a closed mind in order to maintain a reputation in their community.

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