You Can Admit You Were Wrong

<p>A Stoic is determined, but not obstinate. A Stoic controls what they can, recognizes they cannot change that which is out of their control, but that they <em>can</em> change their mind. Not because it’s convenient, but because they are open to learning they were wrong or misinformed.</p><p>“If anyone can refute me,&quot; <a href='https://dailystoic.com/meditations-marcus-aurelius/?utm_source=convertkit&amp;utm_medium=convertkit&amp;utm_campaign=admit-you-were-wrong'>Marcus Aurelius wrote</a>, &quot;I&apos;ll gladly change.&quot; He wanted to be told when he had made a mistake or seen things from the wrong perspective. Because it was <em>truth </em>that mattered to him. Truth, he said, “never hurt anyone.” Persisting on a course or holding steadfast to a belief only because you’re afraid of losing face? That’s where the real damage comes from. </p><p>Yet we actually fear the former more than the latter! Politicians pretend to still agree with positions in public that they disparage in private...because they don’t want to be branded a flip flopper. It’s madness. Changing your mind is a good thing. Holding different beliefs today than you did ten years ago? That’s called growth, maturity, evolution. Being won over by someone else’s argument is not a sign of a weak mind...it’s proof of an <em>open </em>mind. The best kind to have! The <em>only </em>kind to have if you are at all concerned with fortifying your inner citadel against the vagaries of Fate and Fortune. </p><p>The Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter once said that “Wisdom too often never comes, and so one ought not to reject it merely because it comes late.” Well put. </p><p>Don’t reject refutation today. Don’t be afraid to admit you were wrong. Gladly change. It looks good on you—on everyone. </p><p><br/></p><p><br/></p>