Greetings, G.O. readers!
Do you guys ever experience anxiety about changing your minds? Are you ever afraid to come to the plate with a particular opinion you’re not sure about, because you don’t know if how you feel, might change in five minutes? Or five months? Or five years?
This can make me hesitant to share particular opinions or viewpoints, because I feel like I might look stupid down the line, for having felt that way–which is definitely a possibility when writing blog posts; but what if there’s a better way to handle those feelings? A way we could be gentle with ourselves, fully understanding, that all we can ever do, is show up with the knowledge we have available to us, at any given time; and that at any moment, we might get better information, or more insight, and may have to adjust our opinions and belief systems accordingly? Now I’m not proposing that anyone be reckless, and just start spouting off at the mouth, things that can be hurtful or harmful to someone, or giving “expert” advise on a topic you’re not an expert in.
That’s why, if I haven’t said it already, any info, I share on here, is simply, my current viewpoint–just some insights that have come to me, that I feel might be helpful to others. I’m not an expert. I’ve got a Psychology degree, yes, but I’m not a Psychologist or Psychiatrist. Just had to put that out there. Now back to our regularly scheduled program…
In having a certain viewpoint or opinion, perhaps it’s also about the spirit in which we show up. Are we coming from a cocky place, where we’re 100% sure that we’re right, and everyone else is wrong? Or are we coming from a humble place of sharing our ideas about a situation or circumstance, and explaining why we feel the way we do, (while at the same time, leaving room for the fact that we could be wrong)?
Politics is a great example of a subject where people get heated about differing opinions and ideologies; and it’s also a place where people, “switch teams” or change their minds, sometimes. I think a good approach, (in the politics example), might be to explain to the person you’re conversing with, why you subscribe to the policies of your particular political party, and the reasons you don’t agree with the opposing party–while at the same time, being willing to take into account the ideas of those with differing political stances from your own. You have to realize that this is only your current view, in this moment—not necessarily fact. I think that’s all any of us can say regarding any of our opinions.
Feelings and beliefs aren’t set in stone, you know. Thank goodness, they aren’t, or I might still be infatuated with the knuckle-head boy I thought was so cute in 5th grade, (who now looks a hot mess as a man, and went down a much different path with his life, than I did–and not in a good way). Back then, when I was crushing hard on him, you couldn’t have told me, that I’d ever find any other guy as appealing. He was so cute! He was so handsome! But about a month or so into my infatuation, my mind changed. I found out he was sort of an asshole; and about a year or so later, he’d been replaced with a new crush, (and then of course, that crush, and a few others, were replaced too).
I think, just like love interests, can and will change, so will ideas and beliefs. Not all of them–but many do. So if I put an idea on this blog, that I think might be helpful to you guys, just understand, that idea is based on my current knowledge and experiences, and might morph into something else over time. Does it mean, I’m wishy-washy? Maybe. That’s a definite possibility. But I can’t let that stop me from pursuing what might be a good idea; and neither should you. Treat good ideas like hypotheses. A tentative explanation for phenomena. It can be proven wrong at any time. And that’s perfectly okay. Such is life.
Until next time,
Bless Your October Souls…
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| Standing directly under an Puerto Rican Iguana to get a pic, didn’t seem like such a good idea at the time, but nearly a year later, I can say it was totally worth it! |