What’s wrong with being considered a hypocrite or pushover?

Every time an opinion is given, there will always be a counterargument or some sort of claim that is an opposing view because that’s just how humans work. Stubborn people will often stick to their guns and stay with the original thesis and dismiss any other facts that differ from their opinion as wrong, or the experiments don’t apply to their specific situation. This happens on either side of the argument, but the main focus for me are the people that are in the middle, who want to rationalize the options presented in front of them.

Open-mindedness is lacking in modern society, which is why many in-school programs try to instill having an open mind, whereas that was lacking in the past. This may be because times are forever changing and the world shifts continually towards a more liberal approach. This may be because civilization can’t continue and grow without having this trait. But of course, there is a problem societally with being too opened minded, leading to an individual being thought of as a pushover or hypocrite. The definition of hypocrite is one who claims to have certain beliefs but acts in a way that disagrees with those beliefs. I have a problem with this definition because it’s too straightforward in a sense. It doesn’t take into account the social ties that need to be associated with being a “hypocrite.”

People consider one to be a hypocrite less based on how they act, but based on what they say. This leads to the common colloquial term of being “two-faced,” which goes almost hand in hand with being a liar or a hypocrite. To be honest, it’s almost just as easy to interchange the word “liar” with “hypocrite” and still have the same intended affect.

But what of the person who honestly wants to change their opinion? What’s different in that situation than in the other situations where the person was called a hypocrite? The obvious answer is that there’s sincerity when talking about someone changing their opinion, but how would anyone else know that?

I firmly believe that maybe it’s time to allow people the ability to change their opinion, without question not because it’d be easier, but because it’d be the right thing to do. Why wouldn’t the academic side of every person allow someone else the opportunity for self betterment? It would be for the good of all if this were the case because, let’s face it, there is a dire need for a more forward thinking global community.