I feel conflicted on this. I know that it’s important to stand by what you think is right, but I also know that it’s important to change your mind if you encounter new information.
But doesn’t constantly changing your mind in response to new information make it difficult to live your life, considering how much information gets put out all of the time, some of which is immaculate or even wrong?
And refusing to expand your mind to new ideas is also not desirable, because putting yourself in a bubble causes you to close yourself off to new information that could be correct.
So how do I balance myself between these two extremes?
I tend to struggle with having a strong sense of self, so I want to be able to stick to my own views more strongly, but I don’t want to close myself off and become close minded.
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I don’t think there’s any one simple answer to this. I think everyone needs to find their own balance. As long as you are taking the time to check in with yourself, identify how you’re feeling, and honor those feelings but also act according to what you really value, that’s the best any of us can do.
I think everyone probably has a tendency to lean either one way or the other – so if you know you tend to lean one way, it’s probably good to make a more intentional effort to stretch yourself by going in the other direction every so often. But we’re all going to make some mistakes, overcorrect, etc at some point and that’s ok.
It’s a good question, and a hard balance to strike. What I think you have to do is to get clear on what your values are, and stay solid on those. Then when you get new information that makes you think one of your opinions doesn’t match up with your values, you can change your opinion.
This is about being able to admit you were wrong and a desire to learn the truth or to learn anything really.