I have the right to change my mind

We may believe in things so strongly that we will stand up for them and fight really hard for them.  And I’ve often heard people say that once your mind is made up, it’s difficult to change it.  And I’ve also heard people say that it’s difficult to change our beliefs or difficult to change our minds.  So I thought today was a good time to remind ourselves of this story, you may well have heard it before, but I hope you’ll think it’s worth another read:

A battleship had been at sea on its routine manoeuvres under heavy weathers for days. The captain, who was worried about the deteriorating weather conditions, stayed on the bridge to keep an eye on all activities.

One night, the lookout on the bridge suddenly shouted, “Captain! A light, bearing on the starboard bow.”

“Is it stationary or moving astern?” the captain asked.

The lookout replied that it was stationary. This meant the battleship was on a dangerous collision course with the other ship. The captain immediately ordered his signalman to signal to the ship: “We are on a collision course. I advise you to change course 20 degrees east.”

Back came a response from the other ship: “You change course 20 degrees west.”

Agitated by the arrogance of the response, the captain asked his signalman to shoot out another message: “I am a captain, you change course 20 degrees east.”

Back came the second response: “I am a second class seaman, you had still better change course 20 degrees west.”

The captain was furious this time! He shouted to the signalman to send back a final message: “I am a battlefield. Change course 20 degrees east right now!:

Back came the flashing response: “I am a lighthouse.”

The captain duly changed course.

Actually we can change our minds in an instant just as this Captain did.  But for him, he had to wait until he received a FACT before he’d change his mind (and change his course).  But what about if we simply believed that there MIGHT be a fact out there (one that we’ve not yet heard) that could lead to us changing our minds.  Then we could always hold the possibility of changing our minds, our thoughts, our beliefs!  And who knows where that might lead

Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. -George Bernard Shaw