Context leads to contradictions

I’ve talked a lot on here about changing your mind, and how those that frequently change their mind tend to the be people that I trust the most.

It was over a decade ago that I shared some thoughts from Jeff Bezos about people being willing to change their mind, and more recently shared the short “ I change my mind. What do you do? “.

Ryan Holiday

A recent article from Ryan Holiday summed this up as well. His entire article is fantastic, but this is the crux of it:

Yes, Marcus Aurelius contradicts himself. Yes, the Stoics contradict themselves. Yes, Robert Greene’s laws of power contradict each other. Yes, I contradict myself.

Because the world contradicts itself. Because different situations call for different things. Because everything in life depends on context.

The key to doing this the right way, rather than pandering or just being wishy-washy, is to intentionally expose yourself to alternative viewpoints. Read books that you don’t agree with. Talk to people that believe differently than you. Escape your bubble, expand your horizons, and be ok with contradicting yourself from time to time.

I encourage you to read Holiday’s full article to learn more.

Originally published at https://www.mickmel.com on December 13, 2022.