You speak as though your former convictions were what was at fault. But your convictions were not at fault. You were.
When you consider socialism, do not fool yourself about its nature. Remember that there is no such dichotomy as 'human rights' versus 'property rights'. No human rights can exist without property rights. Since material goods are produced by the mind and effort of individual men, and are needed to sustain their lives, if the producer does not own the result of his effort, he does not own his life. To deny property rights means to turn men into property owned by the state. He who claims the 'right' to 'redistribute' the wealth produced by others is claiming the 'right' to treat human being as chattel.