Does changing your mind make you weak?

Have you ever been in a debate or argument with a person who is so caught up in their own opinions that they absolutely refuse to consider any other perspective than their own - even when presented with clear logical evidence?

I never used to understand people like this, and to be honest I don’t think I ever will in totality; but through interacting with such individuals I think I’ve realised what drives them.

I figured that if their attachment to their beliefs and opinions is not logical, then it has to be emotional.

But what causes them to attach their emotions so strongly to their beliefs?

It’s all to do with how the opinions were formed in the first place.

Our opinions are based on so many factors, such as the environments we grew up in, who we spend time with and our personal experiences.

Ultimately, our perspective - the lens through which we see the world - is usually the happy medium we create for ourselves in order to stomach the realities of life while protecting our emotional comfort.

Whether you want to believe it or not, that is the case for most of us.

But there is a spectrum that we all fall along.

At one end is logic and at the other end is emotion.

So when you come across that person (or people) who cannot fathom a reality outside of their own, they are operating almost entirely from their emotions.

Any information that presents an opposing view to what they believe feels like an assault against their identity, and changing their mind would be to commit treason against themself.

This is what we call cognitive dissonance.

To them, their opinions are facts.

It may sound ridiculous, and they definitely wouldn’t say it aloud, but this is how they operate.

The biggest problem with seeing the world in this way is that it makes you incredibly fragile and limits your growth in a big way.

Your perspective is supposed to evolve over time as you mature, learn different things and have new experiences.

But if you have the same outlook on life at 30 years old as you did at 13, that’s probably a big cause for concern!

Changing your mind is not necessarily a sign of weakness. If you genuinely considered an alternative point of view and logically found your way to a new conclusion, then it’s a sign of mental strength and shows that you have the ability to think critically.

When you hold on to ideas that have no logical basis in the name of comfort, tradition, religion or culture, it only damages you in the long run.

Why?

Because rather than operating in reality, you are choosing ignorance. You are choosing to hold on to an illusion. You have built your internal world on an unstable foundation.

This is why it is important to first evaluate ideas BEFORE you adopt them.

Don’t just accept something just because the person saying it is someone you like or someone you think you’re supposed to listen to.

Test every new idea with logic and reasoning.

You have a mind of your own. Use it! Not for being spoonfed ideologies, but for thinking – real thinking! Ask questions. Consider the answers. Ask more questions. Ask questions until it all makes sense.

Don’t allow yourself to accept untruths because you fear the consequences or questioning the status quo.

You deserve to have an outlook on life that is based on reality.

When you are raised to believe certain things, it can be very difficult to question those beliefs, but it’s never too late to do so.

You should always understand why you believe what you do and whether they match your current values and principles.

This is what a wise person does. This is how they grow.

Blind belief is not enough. Blind belief does nothing for you. It does nothing for your soul.

At the end of the day you are responsible for you.

If you choose to go through life blindly believing what anybody tells you, then that is on you.

Ultimately, it all comes down to this one question: do you truly, truly want to live or do you want to die in the shadow of illusion?

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