Changing Your Mind

We are all guilty of rigid thinking - "persistent, obstinate, and absolutist beliefs and demands about oneself, the world, and/or other people" according to Dr Albert Ellis. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is based on changing rigid thinking.
http://albertellis.org/rigid-thinking-and-rational-living-dont-work-well-together/

I look forward to the day, probably not in my lifetime, when we can have removable chips in our brain which automatically copy all our memories & stored information. Dementia would be a thing of the past, other than the normal silliness of human beings. We could literally change our minds, or at the very least update them. 

But, to get to the point. What is wrong with changing your mind? Isn't it actually much better to be flexible in your thinking in the light of new information? If politicians weren't so afraid of being accused of doing U Turns they might not make such a mess of governing. No one person can know everything - Know all the permutations of possible consequences of action. Therefore it must be better to consult widely & try to reach consensus on the best, least fraught with danger, course of action.

But that isn't the way the modern world works. Changing your mind is frowned on. It is an indicator of vacillation, muddled thinking, not "knowing" your own mind. Rubbish! It takes a strong person to say, I think I may have got this wrong & change your mind before harm is done. 

In my view changing your mind in the light of new evidence is the sign of mature adulthood. It shows that you don't just react on gut instinct or emotion, you think about the consequences of your actions on the world around you & on others. You project beyond today into the future. 

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but by then the harm has been done & it may be too late to rectify it.