The downside to reading is that we only learn from our culture. I discovered that when I moved to Cambodia almost ten years ago. We Westerners worship reason. I’ve met uneducated Cambodians who are much better at listening to their emotions (gut) and intuition than we are because we filter everything through our thinking minds. We cling to diametrically opposed points of view because our so-called logic gets mixed up by the emotions beneath the surface. I think an empty mind is the best mind for dealing with day-to-day experiences.

ps: I’m as guilty of having preconceptions and prejudices as the next person, but I’m working on it! So far, it’s helped keep me happy in a country that can be quite frustrating for many expats, who try to make it conform to our Western conditioning.