“Faced with the choice between changing one’s mind and proving there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.”
– John Kenneth Galbraith
Imagine standing on a forked road. One path leads to the unknown, the other to the familiar. Our hearts hum with anxiety. We fear the change that the unknown holds—the fresh challenge it presents. The alternative? To convince ourselves the familiar path is right, the path of no change.
We transform into artisans of self-justification, chiseling excuses from the hard stone of stubbornness. Our tools? Confirmation bias, selective reasoning, and a hefty dash of pride. We sculpt elaborate proof structures that tell us: “You don’t need to change.”
This is the comfort zone, a snug cocoon that lulls us into complacency. We’d rather debate, argue, and validate our views than acknowledge that they might be flawed or outdated. We prefer reinforcing our walls to considering the view from a different window.
After all, changing our minds means admitting we were wrong. It’s the painful tug of dismantling a belief, painstakingly woven over time. It’s admitting that our carefully built house of cards was, in fact, ready to tumble. This is our resistance: the staunch unwillingness to reevaluate, to recalibrate, to reimagine.
Yet, every cocoon must burst for the butterfly to emerge. Every old skin must be shed for growth. The discomfort of change? It’s the chrysalis phase. The painful molting before the vibrant new feathers.
The road to change is a tough hike, but the view at the top? Spectacular. So, let’s be brave. Let’s question, let’s doubt, let’s change. Let’s swap the familiar path for the thrill of the unknown, the routine for the surprise, the comfort for the growth.
Dare to shed the old skin, and embrace the vibrant new feathers. Dare to change.
