Yes! In fact in Mexico we have a expression on it ( Es de sitios cambiar de opinión) means -Wise people can change their mind- I think it's true, because you open your mind to new ideas and facts, and they can change those you had before, and maybe realize that you were wrong, or viceversa.
I believe most people who won't change their minds hold their ground because 1) they are afraid and/or 2) they are comfortable and/or 3) they are lazy, and/or 4) they've been seriously indoctrinated (either by self or others) toward one line of thinking, and/or 5) they succumb to cultural attitudes about 'standing one's ground' as a desirable trait (to the detriment of open-mindedness).
Some clever person once said that the only thing that remains constant is change. To fail to be open to hearing new information and examining other perspectives, we are doomed to miss important cues to understanding, and to living wholly as the purposeful and miraculously-gifted human beings that we are. What a sad loss for humanity.
It is interesting that many business models still silently promote firmness of stance at the same time they promote flexibility of thinking/open mindedness, and that the patriarchal attitude that seems to pervade even these days is one that says if you change your mind and are in a position of leadership, that somehow you are weak or indecisive--a clear negative. That's holdover stuff from an old attitude based in male egocentrism--and it still holds a lot of great men and women hostage in business and life even today, although we're making progress.
Being tuned in for new information and "clues", and being open to weighing and combining them with inner knowledge & experience are the essentials of wisdom, hard-won only through the journey of critical thought and consideration. The generations that follow are counting on us to be open minded enough to gain such wisdom by being open minded enough to carefully consider new information, learn constantly, and apply our newfound wisdom and revelations.
It's totally cool to change your mind as many times as you want, assuming you communicate to people that you've done so, and not just got cross with them when they don't realise you have! :)
People who say, as you note, that their mind is made up and that they will not be moved on their decision are (and I'm making a big sweeping statement here! Sorry!) probably quite close minded, or possibly stubborn, people. Everyone should be open to the idea of changing their minds - for example, if new evidence is presented to them that they'd not previously considered!
To say that they don't want to be bothered with the facts is like saying "I don't care if it turns out the decision I've made is not based on all the facts, I've made my decision now and there's nothing that anyone can do to change my mind!" I know it's just my opinion, but, I couldn't live my life like that - I'm constantly being proved wrong (and proving myself wrong!) on things, and I see it all as a huge learning experience!
It depends on the circumstances.If,for example,someone says 'I will never kill anyone unless I absolutely have to,in self defence',and then steadfastly refuses to change their mind,I think this is a good thing.Killing someone is not a terrible thing to do,and should certainly be actively avoided.If,however,someone says 'I don't want anything to do with anyone from England' and then steadfastly refuses to change their mind,this is ridiculous and prejudiced,because there are a lot of perfectly nice people from England.Also,if you refuse to EVER change your mind about ANYTHING,you will be grumpy and stubborn and unwilling to learn,and nobody should ever be like that.And,as Lemony Snicket says,your initial opinion of just about anything may change over time.So,generally speaking, you should always be receptive to new things and open minded enough to make a fair and unbiased alteration to your opinion.But remember that there are exceptions-like the murder example.You need to have a strong enough character so as not to be led into evil.
I think changing one's mind all the time is a sign of a indecisive person who cannot take a stand on an issue. It's okay to change your mind if you believe you've made an absolute error in your original decision. Otherwise, it's a sign of someone not trusting their intuition enough to stay true to their decision. Wishy washy thinking is a big time waster. And changing one's decision over and over again is another big time waster.
Hm-mm.... I think it depends on the circumstances:
If it's something like changing your mind on your principles then i don't' think it's OK because that's what you stand for. Someone who changes their principles often doesn't seem like a strong/good person.
And if it's like changing their mind on positions they take on controversial issues, then i think it's totally acceptable. The only reason the issues are debatable is that people can change other's opinions and broaden their minds. In circumstances like those, changing your mind is part of the process that opens your mind to new ideas and concepts. It shows that you aren't completely narrow-minded and stubborn. It is crucial to being a good debater, or anything that involves discussion.
I agree with you on this. Completely refusing to change your mind and listen to others is like shutting the door that allows your mind to grow and learn. What's the point of life, if not to live and learn.
I was looking for your question to go the other way. There are those people who constantly change their mind and those people need to be more decisive but not enough so that they become as you describe. You are right, everyone should be able to change their minds and should change their minds when new facts are uncovered.
I once heard a story about this gal who always put a brick in her oven when she was making pies. She claimed that it made the pies taste better, that is what her mother had always done and told her. So she went and talked to her grandma about it and she said the same thing and that her mother always had done it. Then one day she found a bunch of old pictures. Several of her great, great grandma baking. She noticed the oven was open, pies were on top of the stove and she was moving the rack to the lowest position and placing a brick under the shelf as to keep it level because the rail was broken. Leason learned that not everything is you hear is totally right. Find the facts and make your own decisions.
Yeah, i agree with you. I strongly believe that "Change is the only constant in the world". A person who refuses to change is like a stubborn who has shut his mind completely and does not tend to learn anything from life. No change, no learning, no excitement.
I know someone who ALWAYS changes her mind. At first it was cool because the more she thought about it, her feelings would change. But then it got old as it became where nobody knew whether to believe what she would say because the next minute she will totally change her decision.
Always changing mind, is like fickle minded, I don't mean to say that you should not change, but with reasonable thinking about the situation you are in you can change.
