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We all have beliefs we hold on to tightly, sometimes so tightly that it feels like nothing could ever shake them. After all, once we’ve made up our minds, changing them isn’t exactly easy—we humans can be pretty stubborn like that.
But “not easy” doesn’t mean impossible.
These Redditors, for example, let go of some of their strongest opinions and shared what life threw their way to make it happen. Read their stories below, and if you’ve had a similar experience, tell us in the comments!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Universal Healthcare.
I used to be AGAINST it. I now SUPPORT it.
I did a college project showing the case AGAINST Universal Healthcare. I had fantastic insurance through my dad's employer at the time.
Fast forward: 26th birthday.
Lost my dad's insurance.
Had a crappy retail job and couldn't afford insurance. Wasn't able to find work in my field. Was also in my state's gap for coverage. I was scared to death about getting sick. Even the simplest problem like needing antibiotics scared me so so much. There was no way I could afford a hospital bill.
Eventually I clawed my way up and landed a job with good pay and great health insurance. Regardless those few years where I was uninsured scared me so much... I worry about those who don't have adequate coverage and aren't fortunate enough to move up in the workplace. It's a nerve wracking place to be.
Everyone should be taken care of. Period. Nobody should have to make a choice between keeping a roof over their head or having health insurance.
Edit: some words.
Cee Cee 3 weeks ago
How anyone could be against universal health care is beyond me. I live in the UK and 20 years ago the NHS treated me for ovarian cancer. I'm still going strong thanks to the NHS oncologists and nurses. Not forgetting the lovely Sri Lankan guy who brought tea and biscuits on a trolley. He was so kind.
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#2
I used to think poor people were just lazy, but then I learned more about history and racism and economics. Now I basically think rich people are the problem.
#3
As a teenager I used to debate people online about why gay marriage is wrong.
Then I went to a Christian college, studied my faith and Hebrew, and realized the Bible doesn't even say that. Yay for my hippie Christian school. Now I'm still a Christian, but one that's a LGBT ally and who tries to convince others they are wrong about what the Bible says about gay people and others.
(Also realized my faith alone shouldn't dictate law anyway).
#4
I used to be super anti abortion cause I grew up with horror stories of it being a situation where the babies were ripped apart and pulled out.
I got more educated, and then had a friend go through one, and now I'm pro choice. I still don't like the idea of abortions. It's way better to prevent pregnancies. But I support them being legal and the woman being able to choose.
Elena Witch 3 weeks ago
Nobody likes the idea of an abortion. Nobody is pro-abortions. Nobody cheers to increase the number of abortions. We just want them to be accessible in the case they are needed, because we believe in the right of women to control their bodies and their lives, not to be reduced to biological machines of reproduction.
#5
I used to be a staunch Republican and now lean heavily to the left. In essence, I stopped voting for "me" and started voting for "we".
#6
I used to be anti-union, because I saw too many "lazy" workers being protected. After a few years, I saw too many "great" workers left unprotected. I realized that unions help protect the balance.
Huddo's sister 3 weeks ago (edited)
I have never understood the US hatred of unions. They are there to help workers.
#7
Used to b***h about "frivolous lawsuits" and say things like "a******s can sue McDonald's when their coffee's too hot".
But came to learn the truth of that suit (Documentary "Hot Coffee") and realized the courts are one of the last places where the average person stands any chance against the wealthy/powerful/corporations.
quentariel 3 weeks ago
To be honest, I was also against the person suing McDonalds after just seeing the headlines. I mean, it sounds kinda ridiculous and my first thought was a Karen trying to get rich. (Also when working at a fast-food restaurant there's been few times we've been yelled about too hot hamburgers). But actually reading about the case changed my mind pretty fast.
#8
I grew up in a religious cult believing that I liked other guys because of imperfection and sin, and whole heartedly devoted my life to suppressing that “illness”.
I ended up in the hospital on an attempted to take my own life by overdose. During my mandatory psychiatric stay, a psychiatrist gave me quite a figurative slap in the face. Unlike therapists up until that point, he had absolutely no respect for the idea that I could suppress being gay. He was openly against it to the point of being rude. Would straight up laugh in my face when I said with all determination that I could lead a celibate life. I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but his words stuck with me and made me rethink my priorities. Long story short, I’m now out of the cult and have 0 contact with any of my old friends or family. It still hurts a lot but I can say with confidence now that I made the right choice.
#9
I was briefly on the anti vaxx train with it causing autism and s**t. Then seen a point about how we just got better at diagnosing it and was like “that makes sense” and that was that.
#10
I'm a latino person that hated "those" latinos that made me look bad.
Stopped watching Fox news after I moved out. After a few incidents with racists that can't differentiate legal/illegal, realized myself and parents are brainwashed.
Steve Sharpe 3 weeks ago
America is about as broken as a country can get, without entirely collapsing.. yet...
#11
I thought people who didn't want go to college or people who didn't even try to pursue a higher education were making a mistake. Now with the cost of college, student loans, and meeting people who were successful without college, I totally get it.
Geoffrey Scott 3 weeks ago
Any young-uns I encounter I push trades. "Imagine STARTING at $45k/yr, no debt".
#12
I used to think it was bad for kids to be raised by a gay couple. I wasn't militantly against it, but I disagreed with it thinking the kids would be mercilessly teased. Then in college while writing for the school newspaper I was sent to cover a lecture given by two guys who adopted d**g addicted babies and gave them a home. They even nursed an HIV positive baby to being HIV negative. Opinion changed almost immediately.
michael Chock 3 weeks ago
The smallest bit of life experiences can change unfounded biases. It makes sense how so many FOX viewers or "I don't watch the news" people can be so self assured and so wrong.
#13
Growing up in a religious Jewish household, Israel was meaningful and important to a lot of my family members, some of whom were holocaust survivors.
(Try, for a moment, by the way to put yourself in the headspace of a holocaust survivor on this. You've been through hell and back and lost most, if not all of your friends and family on the other side, your entire life has been defined and dominated by antisemitism and being an outsider.
And then you find out Jews are getting their own m***********g country. HOT DAMN. Sounds pretty f*****g sweet. So, I get the appeal.)
So there was a lot of subtle pressure in my life to see the actions of Israel's government in a positive light, pretty much no matter what, and most of my Jewish peers went on "birthright" trips to Israel and came back really adamantly zionist (it was a little spooky even).
And I really just wanted to believe that and wanting to believe it for a long time functioned as believing it until... it just didn't anymore and now I'm just a self-aware critic of Israel. I don't think Israel can be made to not exist as a country, but I think there needs to a be a radical reformation within its government and culture that moves it away from being a flagrant ethnostate.
michael Chock 3 weeks ago
This post is not critical of the Jewish faith, but the actions of the Israel government. Watch the John Oliver "Last Week Tonight" episode on west Bank settlements. The Israeli government is committing war crimes and genocide.
#14
Honestly, though I never expressed them externally I had some rascist and superiority complex thoughts and had some aversion to people due to these thoughts. I slowly learned as I got older that these thoughts had no basis and were completely wrong and found myself quickly having friends who more likely than not were completely different from me :).
#15
I used to think that death penalty was a good idea. I thought about the people who've been killed who were later proven innocent. I don't think we as people no matter what happened should have the right to take someone's life.
#16
I used to want kids.
I really, really wanted to have kids. My whole life I wanted to be a Mom, dreamed of what my children would be like. I was always fairly practical about when I wanted to have them, though, and was pretty careful not to get pregnant. After being married for 5 years, my husband and I decided to go for it. We tried for a little over 2 years, unsuccessfully.
It sucked.
One day I got my period and was relieved. Relieved that I wasn't pregnant. I realized that I didn't want that anymore. Talked to my husband, he felt the same, I got back on birth control. That was a couple years ago, and now we are discussing sterilization for both of us.
Hans Georg 3 weeks ago
Sadly many girls are educated to want to have kids. It begins with dolls specifically made for "motherly" tasks. Why are there no dolls for boys?
#17
I used to really believe that it's not worth doing something if you can't do it right. After all, no one wants someone who's not committed if there's someone out there who's more committed.
Kept this mentality through college and it cost me almost all my grades; I go to a really competitive school and the amount of work is such that it's absolutely unrealistic to expect to put my best foot forward all the time. I didn't understand that and as a result I would literally just not turn in assignments. I ended up failing 3 classes in one semester because I couldn't turn in any essays, problem sets, or fully prepare readings for class. I got depression and couldn't summon the energy to shower, brush my teeth, or eat breakfast, so I just didn't.
Taking a semester off made me realize that most of the things in life need to be done, more than they need to be done well. For example, I think most of us can understand that it's better to brush your teeth once a day, with no toothpaste, for 30 seconds, than it is to not do it at all. Similarly, it was a slap in the face when my English professor came up to me after I failed the semester and said, "you need to learn to be comfortable giving me s****y essays because a 40% is better than a 0%."
I've found it applies to more of life than just college. Closed mouths don't get fed.
Superb Owl 3 weeks ago
Anything worth doing is worth doing badly. You only become good at something through doing it.
#18
I used to be super pro Second Amendment. I had been waning on it for a while and then the Las Vegas Massacre happened. I just couldn't justify it anymore. I'm not militant about it or anything. I don't think we should ban everything, but *something* has to be done. There are too many weirdos out there who are being radicalized online.
michael Chock 3 weeks ago
In the second ammendment "as part of a well trained militia" comes BEFORE "shall not be infringed". The constitution directly demands gun owners be trained, regulated and registered as part of a state sponsored defense program for their right to bear arms to be protected.
#19
I used to think that people who claimed to have an anxiety disorder were mostly exaggerating and crying for attention. Then I moved away for an internship one summer and got to walk a mile in their shoes. I knew no one where I was living, and ended up isolating myself. Symptoms crept in one at a time, and while I never reached a point where I felt it absolutely necessary to seek professional help I did get pretty close.
Going from feeling generally comfortable in my own skin to constantly worrying about what you've screwed up and what you're going to screw up next is a terrible feeling. Not being able to sleep a wink despite being exhausted for nights on end is something I don't ever want to experience again either. It made my performance at that job horrendous. Luckily I spend enough time on the internet to stumble across really inspiring people and sources that helped me fix my situation. Others aren't quite so lucky, and have to work 10x as hard to battle through it.
michael Chock 3 weeks ago (edited)
I used to think the same thing. I am at the point where I can only function for 30 minutes a day, and it destroys me that I have become so broken. I would do anything to be better, but it isn't that easy when you need to be better to become better. It's like being poor. All you need is a good job to fix it, but you need a reliable car, shower, good health, reliable phone, clean clothes, training, tools, a solid work history, credit score, industry connections, refernces, and so much more before you can hold onto a good job.
#20
I used to be solidly in favor a routine infant circumcision. I believe it was cleaner and healthier and that it protected the boy from a lot of problems. now I have learned better and I'm very solidly in favor of everyone having body integrity and all kids being protected from genital mutilation.
NetworkMan 3 weeks ago
As someone who's Little Sergeant has a turtleneck, I never understood this 'cleaner and healthier' premise. All body parts that don't get washed are prone to being unclean, so clean them.
#21
I believed that transgender people shouldn’t use their preferred bathroom. I didn’t think about it a lot, but I just thought you had to be your assigned gender. I eventually realized I am lesbian, and educated myself on transgender rights. Now, my best friend is a trans man, and I strongly oppose anti-trans policies, like the bathroom bans.
Guess Undheit 3 weeks ago (edited)
If you were paying attention to news stories to arrests, you'd know that the ONLY people being arrested for sexual assaults in bathrooms or illegal recordings with cameras are cisgender heterosexual males. Cops have no reason to protect Trans people, nor do the rightwing corporate media. And yet ALL the arrest records involve cis hetero males. Usually rightwingnuts and religious fanatics.
#22
I used to be very anti-SJW, kinda far right, used to be kinda racist, was against gay marriage, abortion, etc. There was no one event that led me to change, just towards then end of my junior and throughout my senior year of high school, I changed and became more open. I realized I had been indoctrinated by the conservative Christian school I had been going to. They made lots of b******t rules so after I figured out those were b******t I started questioning the other things they teached. Now I’m a freshman in college with a gay flag hanging in my dorm.
#23
So many things. Off the top of my head: evolution and GMO’s were two big things.
I was raised a Jehovah’s Witness, so thought the world was 6000 years old. Didn’t believe in evolution. Used to get into arguments with the doctors at work (I worked in a hospital). Realized before university how much sense it makes when I started reading Richard Dawkins’ books. Now I have a degree in molecular biology, so I finally understand evolution a lot better.
I used to think GMO’s were evil and was vehemently opposed to them, but then I realized that I was just perpetuating misinformation without any reason for believing what I believed. When I finally asked myself why I believed GMO’s were bad, I realized I didn’t even know what “GMO” stood for. Quickly realized while reading up on them how amazing they are. Years later, while getting my degree, I also took a genetic engineering course. Fun stuff.
michael Chock 3 weeks ago
Faith is easy when you are willfully ignorant. That's why church teaches "if it's not from God, it's from the devil"
#24
When I was younger I hated the US with a passion for many reasons. Now, after meeting some average US citizens I realized although the place and it's people aren't perfect (no one/nowhere is) I no longer hate the US. My hate was always unwarranted and petty.
Gavin Johnson 3 weeks ago
So many idiots in this world, every country has their sprinkling of them, if you think your country doesn’t have them then I hate to break it to you, it’s you.
#25
I used to be completely opposed to the idea of spandex being in jeans. Denim should be rough and strong, not stretchy! You need to break it in! I went for years stuck in my ways even as my family tried to convince me.
Then one day I was shopping by myself and tried on a pair of stretchy jeans... any they changed my life. I bought multiple pairs and wear them daily.
They still don’t hold up as well as strong denim, but oh my god does the comfort make up for it!
Don’t be like I was. Try stretchy jeans before it’s too late.
#26
This is rather specific, but I was convinced that the only way I (and pretty much anyone else) could lose weight was by following a very low carb diet, or at least a diet free of any grains. I have childhood memories of my parents doing Atkins and the article “What If It’s All Been A Big Fat Lie,” and then I got exposed to keto and paleo online (Onnit, Nerd Fitness, etc.)
I lost weight going low carb. I know that plenty of people have successfully managed their weight via low-carb, keto, Paleo, etc. I tried going paleo, forgot that Vitamin K counteracts a blood thinner I’m on, ate a bunch of asparagus, and promptly had a stroke. I ended up in the “normal” BMI category for the first time since elementary school by simply eating fewer calories than I was expending. Pasta and popcorn were key factors in my doing so.
#27
Recovered memories
Was taught in college while doing my neuroscience degree that they were always false memories, they don't happen, you'd remember it. Then about four years ago I suddenly remembered being molested by my dad. I had very vivid flashbacks that felt like I had truly gone back in time to when it happened. And when I had my first one, my initial reaction wasn't shock, it was "oh yeah, that used to happen all the time". Eventually worked up the courage to ask my dad if it had happened, and he said it did.
I obsessively researched recovered and false memories. Turns out they are known to happen and even the researcher who spearheaded the research on false memories has said in her papers that recovered memories do happen, though with caveats like age and severity of abuse. Therapists say it's common for patients to come in who remembered abuse they had forgotten. The diagnosis for PTSD includes forgetting the event as a possible symptom. The risk with false memories comes from "recovered memory therapy" which was popular in the 80s.
Debby Keir 3 weeks ago
If you eventually remember something by yourself (ie without psych intervention) then of course those memories will be true. However, one form of counselling gets you to 'imagine' the worst that could hapopen, and then work through it, but 'the worst' didn't ever happen, so it CAN plant a false memory.
#28
Being a democrat. I slowly began to realize the whole bipartisan system is rigged to pit people against each and keep everyone fighting and distracted. No wonder George Washington advises against it...
Luke Branwen 3 weeks ago
But still - anyone who votes Democrats still does more for the marginalized people than those who don't vote at all while smugly proclaiming that "both parties are the same anyway"
#29
I was a firm believer that the death penalty was reasonable in certain circumstances as a deterrent/punishment.
Then my partner and I watched through the show Penn & Teller Bullshit. One of the episodes was about the death penalty. It's like 45 minutes long, and by the end of it, my opinion on the death penalty had completely and irrevocably changed and I am 100% against it under any circumstances now.
I have never had my mind changed so thoroughly on something in such a short time. Highly recommend people go watch that episode.
T'Mar of Vulcan 3 weeks ago
A lot of South Africans seem to believe that "bringing back the death penalty" will somehow make crime disappear. But I can't in good conscience support a system under which innocent people have been executed. I've been insulted and sworn at because of not believing in the death penalty, but... if you find out someone is innocent, if there's no death penalty you can let them out of jail. If you've executed them... oops. So, no, I will never support the death penalty.
#30
I've had incredible strong opinions against surveillance. While I'm still against mass surveillance, compared to before even the slightest camera could upset me.
Not only is it easier to accept now, but as I recently was called as a witness I started thinking in the terms that we might still to this day be based on witch hunts to some degree when we don't have other proof than words. Cameras can prevent that.
Sure have I understood that the use of cameras before, but never did I thought about what it actually could replace.
EDIT: fixed some typos.
"Disembodied voice" 3 weeks ago
Just depends on where the cameras are and the purpose. I have a dash cam and I love it.
#31
I used to believe in the Judeo-Christian God. I sure don’t now.
Montanavanna 3 weeks ago
Stories aren't just stories. They tell us how to be in the world. The Judeo-Christian God puts us at the top of a hierarchy and gives us dominion over everything. In reality we are part of the whole, not it's grand designer and owner. We then make choices as the lord of everything and it is going to fuckaluckadingdong us into extinction.
#32
The fact that I was straight. Really tough for me to realize I like girls too. I struggled with it mostly because in middle school I'd been taught gay was a bad thing and didn't even have a word for bi. Kinda difficult for me to see it as anything else even after I realized.
HurlWurk 3 weeks ago
That we don't teach more about sex and relationships not being binary decisions bothers me. You can have sexual attractions to situations without being gay/straight. Hell, most people watching porn are clearly ok with seeing the same sex naked and involved in sex for example, so it's not like it's all or nothing.
#33
I used to be really against any form of sexuality. Grew up in a home that I was taught it was bad. So I was one of those girls who thought sex workers/openly sexual women were less than.
Well, I ended up getting cheated on with a cam girl. Started to cam just to prove I could do it, then saw how sweet a lot of the girls were. Also that the job wasn’t solely sexual, talking to some of my regulars gave them enough confidence to approach women in person.
#34
I broke up with girlfriends over wanting kids in life. Took me 30 years and meeting my wife to come upon adoption over natural.
#35
I used to be vehemently anti-tipping. Like many redditors, I had my laundry list of reasons tipping sucks ready and waiting.
Then I actually learned about the economics, and what would happen if we stopped the tipping system. Most of my reasons for disliking tipping are still valid. They're just not remotely worth f*****g over a huge segment of American workers, as well as other negative consequences.
#36
Not gonna date someone who smokes.
Married someone who occasionally smokes.
BookFanatic 3 weeks ago (edited)
Oh, yes. I was never gonna get a tattoo (I have 3). I was never gonna drive a car (I drive back and forth to work every day). I was never gonna drink coffee (drinking coffee as I write this). I was never gonna date a smoker (first long-term BF smoked). LoL
#37
I voted for our President, but his "inane" tweets, are a disappointment.
What do you think ?
Ash 3 weeks ago
I was a very committed Christian my entire life until age 35. Because I believed it was true: that Jesus was actually God incarnate, etc. etc. (Not a 6-day creationist, tho.) But here's the thing: I knew that there was lunatic fringe "biblical archaeology" that was full of c**p, but I didn't hear much about legitimate archaeology from that region/time period. And my very scholarly study Bible, which liked to mention archaeological discoveries that backed up the basic historicity, didn't mention very much, so I just thought they hadn't found much. In 2019, I learned that actually, there WAS good scholarly archaeology from that region/period, and it totally contradicted the timeline of the Old Testament. And I learned the ACTUAL reasons scholars thought that certain books and prophecies were written in a later period, rather than the straw-man arguments my study Bible talked about. My faith in the basic truth of Christianity was broken. I'm a much happier pagan/witch now lol
Hammerfairy 3 weeks ago
Many important subjects, I'm happy to see positive progress. Thank you all for sharing! 👍
Max Pasterski 3 weeks ago
I had been raised very Christian, and taught that two people of the same gender marrying each other was a crime against humanity. I found out I was gay, and started questioning if all this was true or not. I found the Internet, learned more about the subject, and now I know a lot better. Also learned that evolution is real during a science lecture on the topic in middle school.
Ash 3 weeks ago
I was a very committed Christian my entire life until age 35. Because I believed it was true: that Jesus was actually God incarnate, etc. etc. (Not a 6-day creationist, tho.) But here's the thing: I knew that there was lunatic fringe "biblical archaeology" that was full of c**p, but I didn't hear much about legitimate archaeology from that region/time period. And my very scholarly study Bible, which liked to mention archaeological discoveries that backed up the basic historicity, didn't mention very much, so I just thought they hadn't found much. In 2019, I learned that actually, there WAS good scholarly archaeology from that region/period, and it totally contradicted the timeline of the Old Testament. And I learned the ACTUAL reasons scholars thought that certain books and prophecies were written in a later period, rather than the straw-man arguments my study Bible talked about. My faith in the basic truth of Christianity was broken. I'm a much happier pagan/witch now lol
Hammerfairy 3 weeks ago
Many important subjects, I'm happy to see positive progress. Thank you all for sharing! 👍
Max Pasterski 3 weeks ago
I had been raised very Christian, and taught that two people of the same gender marrying each other was a crime against humanity. I found out I was gay, and started questioning if all this was true or not. I found the Internet, learned more about the subject, and now I know a lot better. Also learned that evolution is real during a science lecture on the topic in middle school.
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