Last week I had the “privilege” of taking part in a process that everyone dreads: jury duty. I wasn’t looking forward to it, it wasn’t fun, but it had to be done. Sure, I got to sleep in a bit, was home earlier than I would have been from work, there was free pizza – but the process itself was tedious and more difficult than I expected. But it reinforced one thing: the importance of keeping an open mind. 

The case was felony OVI (what they call a DUI in Ohio). The trial itself lasted only a day and a half, but  deliberations ended up lasting just as long (the lawyers told us afterwards that they thought we’d be out for no longer than an hour!). But one of the difficulties in a criminal case is needing the verdict to be unanimous.

Every member of the jury was convinced that their decision was right at the outset – and it was 9 not guilty, 3 guilty. Talking things through, by the end of the day that had shifted to 7-4-1 unsure. The next morning, after having time to think on our own, it was down to 4 not guilty – and I was one of them.

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am a relatively open-minded person, but I also stick by decisions I make. So the fact that we all ultimately agreed the verdict should be guilty is a big deal. I had been completely convinced in the beginning that there was not enough evidence of guilt. But with the benefit of closely examining the cam footage we had available, civilly discussing certain aspects with other members and keeping an open mind regarding other impressions of the evidence, I accepted that my first impressions weren’t as accurate as I thought.

In little and big ways, being open minded is important. Not everyone thinks the same way or has the same approach to life. But if you’re willing to listen, consider different viewpoints and maybe, sometimes, change your mind then you’ll never stop evolving. And that’s a good way to go through life.