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Change Your Mind
Changing your mind is often seen as weak. In our political culture, it signifies weakness, “flip flopping”, lack of spine. In the world, we all have “a certain sense of certainty”, as Canadian poet and songwriter John K. Samson sang.
Here is a new proposition:
Changing your mind is strength.
Changing your mind means you have considered your position on something, and, over time, arrived at a new position. If critical thinking is “making sound judgements, based on all available evidence”, then we must allow in new evidence.
Mind-changers are probably critical thinkers. There are many out there who make proclamations as if they were standing on a mountain, proclaiming eternal and religious truth. There are those who trumpet their views on social media, and to those around them, as if they are gospel truth.
It is easy to become entrenched in habits of mind, of thought. Consciousness and habit are intertwined. My positions on many things, be they politics, or religion, or any other thing, can become solidified, like cement.
You don’t want your opinions and viewpoints to cement over time. You want them to remain liquid. You want to think of them as flowing through the stream of consciousness. Old rock becomes fossilized. Your consciousness can stay lava.
On any issue, keep in the back of your mind:
