It is more harmful to compromise one's own beliefs than to adhere to them.

Many a times in life, a person is trapped with such dilemmas where he has to either adhere to his beliefs or compromise them. Such situations are the ones which test the mettle of an individual and help him develop certain characteristics. It’s always desired in an individual to stick to his belief system and not yield as hard as possible and display strength in his character. But this obstinate mindset can many a times be harmful.

It’s natural for humans to make mistakes and learn from them. Hence, it’s natural for a man to have faulty beliefs but it is important to correct those beliefs and move forward in life. It’s detrimental to think that compromising one’s beliefs is a harmful thing. Such perilous thinking can make an individual obstinate. Such an obstinate individual can carry all his dogmas with him forever if he doesn’t correct them. Adhering strongly to faulty beliefs leads to a dogmatic individual. One should always be welcoming towards new beliefs, thoughts and in process rectify his own. I remember one instance from my childhood, where I started to strongly believe that I am no good at mathematics. Thus, test after test my performance went on degrading and kept an ignorant eye towards anyone who told me that I can do better. As a result, I failed badly in my term examinations. But thankfully a teacher of mine helped me overcome my dogma and opened my mind towards new suggestions. Thus, compromising our own beliefs sometimes can be really helpful for an individual.

A stubborn person who sticks to his own beliefs is often considered self-centered. Compromising our own belief system for sake of others generates a sense of respect among others. An image of being a sensible, considerate person is formed in minds of other people. Society starts to respect people with such an image. For example, no one likes to be in a relationship with mean, stubborn, self-centered people. Also, no one likes Adolf Hitler, who can be considered an epitome of self-centered belief system. Perhaps, if Hitler would have been more considerate and compromised his beliefs for sake of other, history would have changed. To learn from others and critically analyze our own belief system is very important.

Some people would argue that compromising one’s beliefs makes one a dissolute character lacking self-respect. I completely disagree with them. While a person having self-respect is fabulous and respectful, a person who his sensitive towards feeling of others and who is considerate is more revered. In fact, society needs more considerate people than the ones submerged in their ego of self-respect.

Hence, in conclusion, compromising one's beliefs is not harmful for an individual. Instead, it develops strong character and converts him into a sentient being.