When should you drop something that you've invested in?

#1
Rasputin_Vol

Rasputin_Vol

"Slava Ukraina"
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Aug 14, 2007
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#1
I think it belongs in here, because this question is far bigger than just a stock or a commodity or something that you've put money into.

If you are 20 years old. 30 years old. 40... 50... 80 years old, for example. At what point in your life will you reach the point of no return where you simply can't afford to drop something you've invested in. When I say "invested in", I mean something like a philosophy, a political party, a religion, an institution, a role model, etc. If you are 40 years old or older, how hard would it be for you to be challenged (or challenge yourself) in something that you have invested your entire life up to that point believing in? If you are given an alternative view, how hard would it be for you to be open minded and courageous enough to drop your old beliefs (in whoever or whatever) and think something else entirely? You've invested you entire life in a set of beliefs. Are you really going to give up those beliefs near the middle or end of your life after you've invested so much into it?
 
#3
#3
Rasputin_Vol said:
I think it belongs in here, because this question is far bigger than just a stock or a commodity or something that you've put money into.

If you are 20 years old. 30 years old. 40... 50... 80 years old, for example. At what point in your life will you reach the point of no return where you simply can't afford to drop something you've invested in. When I say "invested in", I mean something like a philosophy, a political party, a religion, an institution, a role model, etc. If you are 40 years old or older, how hard would it be for you to be challenged (or challenge yourself) in something that you have invested your entire life up to that point believing in? If you are given an alternative view, how hard would it be for you to be open minded and courageous enough to drop your old beliefs (in whoever or whatever) and think something else entirely? You've invested you entire life in a set of beliefs. Are you really going to give up those beliefs near the middle or end of your life after you've invested so much into it?
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If you can take Descartes at his word, he did not begin to investigate his deeply-held "opinions" until he was forty. Of course, many critics claim that the inconsistencies in his philosophy are due to his inability to discard those same opinions.
 
#4
#4
GAVol said:
Depends on how big your ego is.
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I think most people would not be open to confronting the idea that they may have spent their entire life believing in or supporting a lie. The rejection would be really strongest with those that may have embraced a particular religion more so than a political idea (communism or capitalism) or belief in a person like a parent or aunt/uncle.
 
#5
#5
I embraced a legalistic religious view for over 30 years and fought tooth and nail to keep it.......I am so glad that I did finally give up my pride and actually listened to what the word of God says and not what the denomination that I grew up in said
 
#6
#6
T-TownVol said:
I embraced a legalistic religious view for over 30 years and fought tooth and nail to keep it.......I am so glad that I did finally give up my pride and actually listened to what the word of God says and not what the denomination that I grew up in said
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15 to 16 legalism years here......dabbled in atheism.....agnosticism.......pantheism for a while, came full circle in my 20s
 
#7
#7
Rasputin_Vol said:
I think most people would not be open to confronting the idea that they may have spent their entire life believing in or supporting a lie. The rejection would be really strongest with those that may have embraced a particular religion more so than a political idea (communism or capitalism) or belief in a person like a parent or aunt/uncle.
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That's probably accurate. Political views tend to evolve more than religious.
 
#8
#8
Really good question/thread. Someone answered that the larger the ego, the harder for someone to change and I think that sounds right.

I wonder what kind of event/revelation/stressor/etc it takes for an older (>40?) person to re-evaluate some major tenet of one's life. I feel sure that there are those among us that could not/would not change a significant facet of their worldview, pretty much no matter what.
 
#9
#9
I've had 2 events this week to make me really question a lot of things that I grew up learning about certain institutions and the character of people/humanity.

One was an event that circled around a divorce (or right now separation) that is going on with someone close to me, and the other involves a long standing paternity issue within my family that has been exposed this weekend (I found out this afternoon).

A lot of long held beliefs are being tested right now in my mind...
 
#10
#10
And after reading the 401k thread, even investing in that looks like a shaky proposition. :crazy: :p

May as well not invest in that, either.
 
#11
#11
there's a point past a reasonable loss where you never sell

you hold till they send you a lettter saying "kaput"

and even then there is hope
 
#12
#12
Rasputin_Vol said:
I've had 2 events this week to make me really question a lot of things that I grew up learning about certain institutions and the character of people/humanity.

One was an event that circled around a divorce (or right now separation) that is going on with someone close to me, and the other involves a long standing paternity issue within my family that has been exposed this weekend (I found out this afternoon).

A lot of long held beliefs are being tested right now in my mind...
Click to expand...

Best of luck, RV. Hang in there.
 
#13
#13
My econ professor cited research stating that almost nobody changes their political affiliations after age 23ish. He was trying to make a point that I'm close-minded in my libertarianism. I was like, "Well, I became a libertarian at 25 or 26." and he said, "You'll be that the rest of your life."

Now I'm more of an anarchist. LOL
 
#14
#14
The biggest change for me is that up until about 2006 I was a hawk and felt the US should use it's military power to "stabilize" the world. Since that time I'm much more isolationist with regard to use of military force. I'm not quite at the Ron Paul stage but getting close.

Overall, I've lost considerable faith in the use of the Federal government for anything other than the most basic national functions. I've certainly become more Libertarian over the last 10 years.
 
#15
#15
OP

1) if it is logical ... cause that is what we base our stubbornness on right???
>>> our logic >>> if it is logical we are no longer stubborn and can change our mind>>> and we can eat our ego or continue to defend a position for the fun or challenge or egotistical benefit of it.

2) if love is the investment forget the logic and never give up

imo
 
#16
#16
There are a few things that I have held on to or believed in for about 20 years. I've voiced some of my political opinions to friends and family and we've gone back and forth with some of that. Since I'm a black conservative, I got all kinds of hell for not supporting Clinton/Kerry/Obama whenever election time came around. But after the last 6-8 years, it is really getting hard to defend some of my old stances anymore. Check that, it's not getting hard. It's becoming impossible to defend. I'm having to be honest and crawfish and eat my words a lot lately... and that is just on the political side. Pride makes it tough to admit that you may have been wrong before about an idea, but I find myself having to just come to grips with being wrong on certain things. The easy thing to do is to dig my heels in and not admit my mistakes with some of these people.

Again, this is just my personal battle. But I'm sure there are people out there that struggle with their beliefs from time to time and put on a good face just to be stubborn. Rather than admit that they may be open to an alternative set of beliefs, I think the masses would sellout and hold on to the bitter end. They're pride won't let them humble themselves because they have invested way too much in a particular set of beliefs.
 
#17
#17
Just yesterday I was making a sandwich and I was out of mustard so I just put mayo on it. Turns out I like sandwiches better without mustard. After all these years of wasting time putting mustard on my sandwich...Blew my mind.
 
#18
#18
Rasputin_Vol said:
There are a few things that I have held on to or believed in for about 20 years. I've voiced some of my political opinions to friends and family and we've gone back and forth with some of that. Since I'm a black conservative, I got all kinds of hell for not supporting Clinton/Kerry/Obama whenever election time came around. But after the last 6-8 years, it is really getting hard to defend some of my old stances anymore. Check that, it's not getting hard. It's becoming impossible to defend. I'm having to be honest and crawfish and eat my words a lot lately... and that is just on the political side. Pride makes it tough to admit that you may have been wrong before about an idea, but I find myself having to just come to grips with being wrong on certain things. The easy thing to do is to dig my heels in and not admit my mistakes with some of these people.

Again, this is just my personal battle. But I'm sure there are people out there that struggle with their beliefs from time to time and put on a good face just to be stubborn. Rather than admit that they may be open to an alternative set of beliefs, I think the masses would sellout and hold on to the bitter end. They're pride won't let them humble themselves because they have invested way too much in a particular set of beliefs.
Click to expand...

i got you from hello lol' trust me i get it

didn't know you were black

got it now

hey man who do you love?

if it is deep within you love it and accept it

things are just the way they are and that dont make them wrong or right

jmo
 
#19
#19
Rasputin_Vol said:
There are a few things that I have held on to or believed in for about 20 years. I've voiced some of my political opinions to friends and family and we've gone back and forth with some of that. Since I'm a black conservative, I got all kinds of hell for not supporting Clinton/Kerry/Obama whenever election time came around. But after the last 6-8 years, it is really getting hard to defend some of my old stances anymore. Check that, it's not getting hard. It's becoming impossible to defend. I'm having to be honest and crawfish and eat my words a lot lately... and that is just on the political side. Pride makes it tough to admit that you may have been wrong before about an idea, but I find myself having to just come to grips with being wrong on certain things. The easy thing to do is to dig my heels in and not admit my mistakes with some of these people.

Again, this is just my personal battle. But I'm sure there are people out there that struggle with their beliefs from time to time and put on a good face just to be stubborn. Rather than admit that they may be open to an alternative set of beliefs, I think the masses would sellout and hold on to the bitter end. They're pride won't let them humble themselves because they have invested way too much in a particular set of beliefs.
Click to expand...

Are you moving towards a position where you would have supported Clinton/Kerry/Obama? Given what you posted I have a hard time believing you are moving towards the left but I could be wrong.

Nothing wrong with being honest about your beliefs.
 
#20
#20
volinbham said:
Are you moving towards a position where you would have supported Clinton/Kerry/Obama? Given what you posted I have a hard time believing you are moving towards the left but I could be wrong.

Nothing wrong with being honest about your beliefs.
Click to expand...

No, I'm not moving to the left. I'm just loosing faith in some people and concepts on the right, if you can understand that.
 
#21
#21
Rasputin_Vol said:
No, I'm not moving to the left. I'm just loosing faith in some people and concepts on the right, if you can understand that.
Click to expand...

I would think most people feel the same way.
It is hard to have faith in politicians on either side of the isle.
 
#22
#22
Rasputin_Vol said:
No, I'm not moving to the left. I'm just loosing faith in some people and concepts on the right, if you can understand that.
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weed out the far right and the far left as they are the ones that yell the loudest thus getting the most press/reactions.......hang in there big guy, trust your self
 
#23
#23
Rasputin_Vol said:
No, I'm not moving to the left. I'm just loosing faith in some people and concepts on the right, if you can understand that.
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Definitely - I've moved that way.

The notion that positions cannot evolve and that it is somehow "flip-flopping" is dumb.
 
#25
#25
volinbham said:
Definitely - I've moved that way.

The notion that positions cannot evolve and that it is somehow "flip-flopping" is dumb.
Click to expand...

I don't think any reasonable person is unable to tell the difference between flip-flopping and an ideological shift that either happens over the long term or is catalyzed by some major revelation.
 
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