I disagree. I think people simply have varying limits as to how open to influence they are. Largely, I would guess, this is due to fear. Familiarity and notions of certainty are probably the most basic and immovable forms of stability and defence we have - so some barricade their minds up for fear of what could get in, while others aren't so concerned about it and are more open to others' influences.
I used to be a deist, mostly because I just felt, in my gut, that there was a God - it just seemed to make sense somehow. Then I read The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins and became an atheist. That's one of the most massive jumps you can make in belief, but for me it wasn't the least bit difficult - it was just a matter of 'what's the most intelligent conclusion?'. There was very little emotion involved.
On the other hand when I watched Fight Club for the first time at 15, or around about that age, I found the nihilist theme (which, I know, the writer says isn't really there) very disconcerting. It would be a difficult emotional hurdle for me to embrace nihilism, which, fortunately, I don't have to because existentialism, from what I understand, kind of overrules it.
I'm very open to new ideas, other people do have answers for me and, thus, we can have answers for other people - it's just a matter of how willing we all are to take these answers on board. |