What Have You Changed Your Mind About?

I just finished the book What Have You Changed Your Mind About?: Today’s Leading Minds Rethink Everything. The book features 150 brief essays by notable figures sharing when and why they altered their perspective on something. Though I love the concept, I’m not crazy enough about it to recommend it. Most of the chapters dealt with science and technology, so while they explained how they had come to reconsider some aspect of the human genome, I was often confused.

One thing I won’t change my mind about is how important it is for people to change their minds. Not willy-nilly, of course, but we should all do it when it’s warranted; there’s no prize for being stubborn. I like changing my mind because it means that I have learned something new and used this information to challenge the beliefs I previously held. There’s nothing more frustrating to me than people who are so set in their views that they won’t accept opportunities to learn, grow, and adjust accordingly.

This topic always makes me consider the downfall of John Kerry after he was labeled a flip-flopper. It was frustrating to watch as someone was criticized for changing his opinion. Don’t get me wrong, Kerry kinda sucked and I’m not prepared or willing to defend him on the whole, but I will defend a flip-flopper, so long as he can cite reasons for the change.

As a high school teacher, I once used what was essentially the book’s title as a journal prompt to see if I could get a better picture of my students’ thought processes. The assignment wasn’t too successful as I received many short paragraphs about deciding to go out for the football team rather than soccer because more of his friends were doing it.

Consequently, I changed my mind about my profession. I wanted something deeper, but that was par for the course: I always wanted something deeper from my students. In retrospect, they were too young; they couldn’t very well change their minds about significant issues before forming initial opinions on the matters. It’s funny to look back at how I felt at their age.

I used to consider myself a Republican.
I used to believe in God.
I used to be opposed to gay marriage.
I used to support affirmative action.
I used to understand love.

Over time, life experience and new knowledge led me to alter these views. My mind has changed and I feel I’m a better person for it. That said, I can’t promise my mind won’t change again, perhaps reverting back to some of my preteen perspectives. As long as it’s based in wisdom rather than nostalgia, I think that’s beautiful.

What have you changed your mind about?