Politicians love to double down on a bad idea, but changing your mind can be a strength. What have you shifted your stance on? We want to know
What’s the big thing that you’ve changed your mind about? As regular readers will know, it’s a question we always ask the well-known figures who take part in our ‘Life lessons’ series. We’ve had some interesting responses over the years.
The Welsh singer, Charlotte Church, offered a candid and considered response recently. “Probably the trans stuff,” she told us. “I was never a terf, but when I was pregnant with my third baby, I was very protective about the female experience. After listening to many different trans people talk, I realised that I was behaving like there was no more room. But there’s plenty of room and these people are so marginalised, why on earth would I contribute to anything that’s going to make their life harder?”
Eden project founder, Sir Tim Smit, also softened his outlook. “The big thing I’ve changed my mind about in life is that most people are out to get you,” he said. “We build up a picture of every neighbourhood as being a place full of dread. It is not. Most people are kind, and the 5% who aren’t have usually had something happen which screws them up.”
For the writer Isabella Tree, a change of mind led to her kickstarting the UK’s rewilding movement. “The big thing I’ve changed my mind about in life is learning to live with nature in a state of what we used to call mess,” she said. “I grew up on the picture postcard version of our British landscapes with neat fields, canalised rivers and isolated pockets of woodland, and thought that was beautiful. Now I know that it can’t be beautiful if it’s not functioning.”
Now, we are putting the same question to you, our readers. We want to know the big thing that you have changed your mind about and – if applicable – how that decision changed your life. We won’t be able to publish all answers, but we will read them. Fill in the form below to take part.
Main image: Brooke Cagle
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