We can all be obstinate at times… especially when we want to be.
Sometimes we get an idea in our head and nothing or no-one can shake us from our position. We will even dismiss overwhelming empirical evidence if it fails to suit the narrative we have selected. For the mind is incredibly powerful and will go to extreme lengths to protect itself.
This power and compulsion allows us to endure in the face of impossible odds, but can also hold us back when we refuse to adapt. In such instances where we or others clutch an outdated or incorrect belief, we are rarely swayed by a vehement argument. Impassioned pleas often conversely achieve the opposite of their intended effect, further entrenching us as a self-defense mechanism.
How then do we alter people’s minds? Listen to how the angel describes John the Baptist:
“He will herald God’s arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics—he’ll get the people ready for God.”
John the Baptist was never one to pull punches or approach things ‘politically’, but it is nonetheless proclaimed that he would kindle understanding among hardened skeptics. How? Not through arguments, but lifestyle. He elected to forego debates and instead chose to live the truth he understood. For what ultimately changes peoples’ minds is not a convincing argument or catchy phrase, but our lives themselves.
Let us focus our energy on living well and loving others. This changed approach may just produce the change we intend.