Changing Your Mind
It’s not as easy as we might think
I know we do it all the time. We change our minds on what to wear, which shoe to put on first, how to fix something.
But these are under-the-radar things.
For the most part we are probably the only ones aware or, for that matter, care that we changed our mind on the thousands of little things.
When it comes to publicly changing our minds on obvious and important things, it’s another matter. There is more at stake when there are witnesses, especially those who have known us a long time and are glad to remind us what we used to think and do.
My hunch about mask wearing in public now is that it has more to do with the important people in a person’s life than with stopping the spread of illness. We don’t want to upset people we care most about.
And this is just one example of how challenging it is to make big changes.
Personally, I don’t freely speak my mind even here and now with you. I consider my words and sometimes I choose to talk about other things.
Now the argument can be made that this is cowardice on my part.
Could be.
But it also could be wisdom.
There is a difference between believing an unpopular and minority idea or philosophy strongly and in not believing something strongly and therefore not wanting to walk too far out on a weak branch.
Those who have read earlier posts of mine should know I’m sort of a minority-opinion guy, but still I hold back at times based on what I consider important and less important. I can, and at times do, change my mind.
So what’s my point?
Change isn’t easy and yet it is important to continually measure beliefs and behaviors against an ideal - and that ideal should not be based on other people too closely, if at all.
For strong beliefs it shouldn’t matter what others think or believe because you have thought your position through and simply believe it.
For weak opinions, it is best to not become too dogmatic because, theoretically at least, you should want to stay open to having your mind changed.
This is a big topic, at least for me. How do people change? What helps? What doesn't? I know personally that I don't like being pushed to changed, but I don't really mind being challenged to change. In other words, if someone I know is working toward their own improvement and can articulate why they think it is important they do, then I can become inspired to consider similar actions in myself.
If someone wants me to change because in some way it will make their life easier, I'm inclined to be a little, let's say, resistant. It's human nature.