I used to think people who changed their political views were weak. Wishy-washy. If you believed something yesterday, you should believe it today.

Then I changed my mind about something important. And felt terrible about it.

The guilt made no sense. I had better reasons for my new position than my old one. I’d learned something. Updated my beliefs based on evidence. Isn’t that what rational people do?

But it didn’t feel rational. It felt like betrayal.

I think the problem is how we talk about beliefs. We say “I believe” as if beliefs are possessions. Things we own. Part of who we are.

When you change a belief, it feels like you’re admitting the old you was wrong. And nobody wants to be the person who was confidently incorrect about something they cared about.

But beliefs aren’t possessions. They’re tools. If you had a hammer that stopped working well, you’d get a new hammer. You wouldn’t feel guilty about it.

The goal isn’t to have the same beliefs forever. It’s to have beliefs that track reality as closely as possible. Sometimes that means trading them in.

I still feel a little embarrassed when I remember what I used to think about certain things. But I try to remember: the embarrassment proves I’m learning.

That’s worth celebrating, not feeling guilty about.

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