Change Your Mind

“Get off my lawn!” Saying it brings back images of the movie Gran Torino. Clint Eastwood staring down the barrel of his shotgun trained on a group of teenagers, whose fight happened to spill onto his front lawn.

Their being there was unintended, and although the boys were up to no good, what Clint Eastwood was ultimately doing was simply focused on getting them off his lawn. If you haven’t seen it, I definitely recommend it.

Though I am often the last to see it, it seems that I have become the Eastwood character in that movie. Not necessarily because we both share the same rugged good looks, though I can see where you might make that mistake, but more because of the mean disposition he portrayed.

Not that I’m making an excuse for my behavior, but more so to explain what has happened. You may have noticed that the BLOG is now located on a different website. This was done by me, both to take some of the load off of Celia, as she was in the middle of juggling cats with her new business, but also to try and assume more responsibility on my part.

Unfortunately, my actions came with some unintended consequences. By doing what I did, I unwittingly removed my “human filters” on whom I relied so much.

This act, led to my saying things, though not really meant to hurt, they did so and I am sorry. I’m going to return to running my posts by my wife, at least until I am sure I’m not going to say something that puts my foot in my mouth, it could be a while!

What is clearer to me every day, is that the world is obviously ever in a state of flux, weather, technology, fashion, and social norms, are just a few of the things that seem to change daily.

Simply start a conversation on any given subject and it is sure to elicit a wide range of opinions. Just remember what is said about opinions and what they are like; everyone has one and they all stink!

In some cases, for the most part, I usually embrace these changes. Although in the instance of technology, it is getting harder and harder for me to keep up.

One area which I very often find I am at odds with is people changing their beliefs on the way one should act, whether with family members or in public.

Our core beliefs are most often handed to us as we grow from our parents. At least that has been the traditional means that we have developed our views of the world in the past.

Nowadays, however, media and the friends that are kept, seem to be what has the biggest influence over what people believe. Good, I think, for things like race and sex equality. But I can’t say I always concur with the majority on many of the modern ways of thinking.

I would be, what is called, “old fashioned” in my way of thinking. That’s always been alright with me in the past, although I’m starting to realize that I was on a path that was only going to bring me pain and loneliness.

I need to do a better job of remembering that God placed me on this current path for a reason, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t to remain as I’ve always been. OK, sometimes I’m a little slow on the uptake.

Remember that there was a time when the “majority” thought that women were the weaker sex.

The fact is, being in the majority doesn’t necessarily mean you are in the right. It’s much easier to switch your views on something when the actual facts about a way of thinking are made different by a change in the science behind it.

For instance, people once thought the earth to be flat. Then around the third century, advances in our understanding of mathematics and physics significantly changed, and the Greeks figured out that not only was the earth a sphere, but they were able to calculate its approximate diameter. From then on, the perception of the way most people would see the earth was forever changed.

But even today, you will find those who believe our world to be flat. Then you have a subject like gender-altering surgery. A topic currently in debate and in the news.

One of those polarizing topics which not only have most already chosen a side as to their support, but it is highly unlikely you could get anyone to budge on their opinion on the subject. 

These kinds of debates, they primarily draw on the individual’s views of what is right and wrong. In other words, on their “feelings.” Not necessarily on any facts.

Debates such as these, are often the most heated and people’s opinions are hardest to be swayed on such matters. For me, the old saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” has always applied, but I am trying hard to understand and change. 

Although I have made changes over the last year and a half, they would be what I refer to as personal growth changes. My opinions of right and wrong are what I need to work on and believe me, it’s a slow process.

My young bride made me recall a struggling young couple.  They had two young sons at the time, who lived less than a mile from her parents.  Rarely did they find the time to just drop by and see the boys’ grandparents, after all, both of these young parents worked hard for their boys and there just wasn’t time with all there was to do.

This could be the story of many couples in the U.S. or anywhere in the world for that matter, but it’s not, it’s Jonell’s and my story.

Sometimes we argue, playfully really, about where Lydia gets her brains. As you might guess, it’s a fairly short argument!

So you changed your world

You changed your hair

And the clothes you wear

And your pillow’s side

You changed your number

And got some friends

That I don’t recognize

But I wonder sometimes

Is it too late to try?

If I change

Would you change your mind?

          Sung by Keith Urban