I am closed minded and judgemental. But no matter how hard I tried to change that, I couldn't, for as long as I can remember
I didn't try to change it, and I am not recommending that you do.
Rather, I am suggesting that other ways of thinking have value. The internet was great for this. It opened up a new world of smart people, thinking of things I never would. Things I often don't agree with (I'm still just as judgemental). But still, an internally consistent worldview is valuable, even when based on obvious untruths. (If only to see how such a balancing act is done.)
Learning to respect others perspectives (even when they are clearly wrong, sometimes especially so) allows for a better understanding of what they understand. My mental models improve, as I better understand the world at large by being able to mentally replicate many more perspectives.
So if I am thinking of an subject, and am trying to understand someone else's perspective, I could be seeing a rectangle, and they a circle.
In this case, I could be dealing with someone who doesn't recognize corners, or who is deeply obsessed with circles, or, we could both be looking at a cylinder.
I will never get hints that my rectangle is possibly a cylinder, if I look at their conclusions, and decide that they don't recognize corners.
......
I'm just fine with being judgemental. It saves time and energy for the things I am willing to contemplate for a while.
But judgement comes with costs, as well. One such cost is how little I learn from the people judged as inferior.
This is a cost I pay myself. I get the self satisfaction of confirming to myself that I am right. And I cheat myself of an opportunity to learn.
And as I age, I find learning opportunities to be far more valuable than mere confirmation that I am right.