>The key to every man is his thought, sturdy and defying though he looks, has a helm which he obeys, which is the idea after which all his facts are classified. He can only be reformed by showing him a new idea which commands his own.

From "The Oversoul," Essays, First Series by Ralph Waldo Emerson

To me, the most important sentence in this quote is the second: "He can only be reformed by showing him a new idea which commands his own." This goes to the idea that  it is all very well and good to be reformed, but the result is doomed to failure unless there is a "new idea which commands his own." Reminds me of food diets - perhaps the results don't last as long because the food alternative isn't superior to the replaced. 

This could apply to any attempt to convince another to change their ideas. Those ideas have to be replaced with new , better or more convincing ones - otherwise the void will be refilled with past habits or worse ones.

On social media, there are always posts about how dissatisfying a situation is, how something needs to change. But how many are truly offering solutions? And are the solutions presented in a way that "commands" another approach? Are all the solutions equivalent? Or too hard - but not impossible? 

When I find myself spinning down that hole, I have to shut myself up. Unless I can offer a solution superior to the other along with a complaint, best not to say anything. 

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