Week 13: Resistance to change

Haanel writes, in section 14 of this week’s reading:

Third, we may say that we are on “forbidden ground,” that there are some things which we should not know. This objection was used against every advance in human knowledge. Every individual who ever advanced a new idea, whether a Columbus, a Darwin, a Galileo, a Fulton, or an Emerson, was subjected to ridicule or persecution; so that this objection should receive no serious consideration; but, on the contrary, we should carefully consider every fact which is brought to our attention; by doing this we will more readily ascertain the law upon which it is based.

Every. Single. Advancement.

Columbus was considered merely crazy; Darwin, we still question because he rocks the faith of some people; Galileo was executed.

The fact that we’d be resistant to even small changes in our lives (that eventually become big changes) is not surprising, but if we remain resistant to them, we’ll miss major discoveries.

What version of the wheel or evolution am I missing if I’m resistant to change? If I discover that the Earth goes around the sun, am I open to that knowledge? I’d like to think I’m at least open to the possibility.