I think I finally understood what it means to be open-minded.
We obviously all like to think that we are open-minded on some level. I mean I thought I was the most open-minded person ever b/c well, some people have confirmed this suspicion of mine previously. However, recently, I realized that deep down, I might not be the person that I hoped to be or perhaps I have been striving too hard to be someone I am not ready to be. Let me explain. (Let there be sense to make!)

Being open-minded or shopping for and trying on new perspectives.

First I know I am not completely open-minded just b/c I can get quite stuck on some real self-centered ways of thinking, especially when feelings are involved.

Self-talk: I like how thinking and feeling are always intertwined in a way.

It is very easy to blame another person for my negative experiences/emotions. It is okay though b/c we all do the same damned thing. The point though, is not to blame myself either b/c the situation might never be as black & white as I think.

Self-talk: Now I wished they made a PKMN Gray game so that I can add some cross-references.

What I need to do when I get stuck is really just to take some time off to challenge my thoughts. Maybe one's intentions were never to hurt/annoy/offend me in the first place. Maybe one considers another person as a closer friend b/c they are just more compatible, with more common interests. Maybe a person who has prejudice against me might not hold onto it forever b/c well, people change and I change too (all personal examples, no need to relate to them). I guess what I am trying to say here is that giving people the benefit of the doubt is usually preferable, honorable even.

Now the point is not just to come up with these alternative explanations but to also come to a place of acceptance (of the self, others & the situation). Also it could help to dwell in those new perspectives a tad longer b/c boy, it is darn easy to swing back to that self-centered perspective. Selfishness is REAL.

e.g. I totally understand what he is going through. I have so much empathy for him. I mean it's so sad the situation he is in right now...but what about my situation? How dares he do that to me? Why does nobody care about what I go through? Man, sucks to be me. Ima bail out. Kiss kiss bang bang.

I mean it is okay if something does not go my way, really. And it is okay to forgive/forget/move on too b/c what happened happened already. They are done deals, past tenses. If further communication helps, do it, if not, don't do it. And if I suck at communicating, it might be b/c I don't think through and make sense of my feelings enough. Sometimes, a low self-esteem + insecurities could also get in the way. If that happens, I should really work on myself first instead of blaming and focusing on the other person. I mean how can I blame someone if I am too insecure to confront them about the issue in the first place? When those fears get resolved though, communication might just improve naturally. Know that it is totally okay to talk things out with people b/c it is a nice gesture to share things with others. And when I do finally end up talking, it is okay if the other party does not receive my speech well. Defense mechanisms happen with everyone. At the end of the day, we gotta remind ourselves that people do change, some takes more time than others, but that is okay.
So why demand perfection from people when I know it is not humanely feasible?
Why do I blame someone for my own hurts when I know that they might not understand or experience the world the way I do?
Conversely, it is okay for me to feel hurt or misunderstood too.
I am human.
I am imperfect.
And I need my time to evolve too.
Growing up hurts and sucks. So it is okay that we want to stay a selfish child one more day. To resent and blame one more time. It is okay not to be okay.

At the end of the day, we are all part of the same community called humanity and we all deal with the same condition i.e. getting hurt by each other. Sucks to be us right? Sure but diversity does exist within this united experience of crappy feelings, which is why a flexible mind will help each one of us navigate through those differences.

Also, keep in mind that the mind cannot be flexible and stretchable forever. It will get tired, wanting to shut down at one point.
괜찮아 (It's chill)
Keep calm and remember that we all have our opening hours.