Romane Mind Power Newsletter, June 28, 2026
“What Are We Resisting Today That We’ll Accept Tomorrow? History shows we often fear what later becomes essential”
Do you have a closed or open mind to what is new?
The Next Big Thing… or the Next Big Mistake? Have you ever noticed something interesting that keeps repeating?
Whenever a brand-new invention, idea or method comes along, there are always some people who predict disaster. They shake their heads and say, “This will never work!” Or worse, “This will ruin society!” Sound familiar? Here are just a few examples that were not accepted or protested at first, but then became popular or widespread and accepted:
Seat belts, airbags, bicycle helmets, railways, ride sharing, pasteurization, CT and MRI scans, electricity in homes, indoor plumbing, microwaves, air conditioning, nuclear power, wind turbines, rock and roll, jazz music, video games, women driving, women voting, interracial marriage, skyscrapers, highways, steam engines and cellphone towers.
When automobiles first appeared, many people wanted them off the roads. They frightened horses, scared pedestrians, and made enough noise to wake half the neighborhood. Some communities even protested these “horseless monsters.”
Then came the telephone. Some people thought no one would ever want to talk to someone they couldn’t see.
Radio? Some thought that would be dangerous… television was thought to rot the brain… only scientists would need computers… the internet is a passing fad… the speed of a passenger on a train over thirty miles per hour, will result in death … cell phones will kill conversation. Today, most of us use these inventions without giving them a second thought. We drive to the grocery store, carry a smartphone in our pocket, send emails in seconds, and video chat with family around the world. What once seemed strange has become perfectly normal.
Now the spotlight is on artificial intelligence. Some people are excited and others are worried. Some communities are protesting the construction of AI data centers because of concerns about electricity use, water consumption, and changes to their neighborhoods. Those are reasonable questions worth discussing. Many new ideas have hiccups along the way that become smoothed out because the item or idea is still in its early development and refinement stage.
History teaches us something valuable. New ideas deserve careful thinking… not blind acceptance and not automatic rejection. The human mind naturally prefers what is familiar. Psychologists call this the “comfort zone.” We often mistake “different” for “dangerous.”
As a hypnotist, I’ve watched this happen for decades. When I began hypnotizing in the sixties, some people would not look in my eyes. Some would be fearful and run away. A lack of understanding, fear of the unknown, human imagination and the resulting beliefs have a powerful effect on our health, happiness, and success. Years ago, most people feared hypnosis… thought it was evil, the work of the devil, mind control, or a fraud. Today, there are thousands of people worldwide who practice professional hypnosis in fields such as nursing, medicine, psychology, psychiatry, counseling, athletics, and hundreds of other areas to improve happiness, self-control, health, skills, and success of others.
One of the greatest gifts hypnosis gives us isn’t mind control… it’s mind freedom, self-discipline to reach our goals and to improve our life more effortlessly… to tap the inner powers of our subconscious mind. Hypnosis helps us to notice and change our automatic reactions before they become automatic decisions and habits. Instead of saying, “I don’t like this because it’s new, or I don’t understand it,” we can ask a better question:
“What can I learn before I make up my mind?”
That’s a much more powerful way to think. Does every invention, method, discovery, or idea improve our lives? Of course not. Some disappear almost as quickly as they arrive. Others change the world forever. The trick is keeping our curiosity alive while using common sense.
Imagine if our grandparents had refused electricity. Imagine if your doctor rejected antibiotics because they sounded too modern. Imagine if no one had been willing to fly because airplanes looked frightening. Progress doesn’t happen because everyone agrees. Progress happens because enough people stay open-minded long enough to discover what is possible.
So, here’s a little homework for you this week. The next time you hear about an invention, a new idea, or a new way of doing something, don’t ask, “Should I fear it?” Instead ask yourself, “What do I need to learn about it?” That single question could open doors you never knew existed. The next amazing breakthrough may be the very one people are protesting today. Keep an open mind… countless people who have attended my live or online seminars or used my hypnosis recordings have said: “I wish I did this years ago!”
77 years behind me this Canada Day, the more open minded I am to something new, to give it a fair chance to be useful, helpful, or just fun and maybe commonplace. After all, a parachute – and our mind – works best when it’s open. Share this message with someone who might need a reminder to stay open-minded.
M. Vance Romane
