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ChristoneaMarieJane

- 3 years ago

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Do people ever really change?

I've been in many situations and heard several different times that "People Change". I've also been in many situations and heard several different times that "People Never Change" Yes, never say never... but what do you believe? Does mankind, aka people, have the natural ability to change their "Nature" ?... or we they set in our ways by their upbringing?

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Tricky question. There seem to be things that people can't change like their basic temperament and personality. The brain structure creates restraints and tendencies. Training can help people find a way around those restraints. Prayer and meditation are important. But training can't occur until the person is exposed to a situation. So reflection is also important ie asking, "how do I respond to that differently next time." Insight is th etricky bit. The arts have always been important in helping society develop insights into attitudes and behaviour.

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Believe it or not; i c this as a "yes" and "no" answer. i must use myself as the best example i have. i thought i was just fine, until i went thru a serious clinical depression. that's when i began to discover that maybe i wasn't that great a person. (too bad it took a serious hit in the head.) i set out to (try to) make some changes. After years of therapy, reading self-help books (they do help), asking people for feedback, etc., i began my quest for change. i have come a long way. i see by others' reactions towards me, and my long-term friendships. i am more sympathitic, compassionate, tolerant, kind & forgiving. there are still some things about me that are so ingrained and are not always pleasing to others. but the way i see it, i have come a long, long way, and now it's up to my friends &/or family to meet me 1/2 (or even 1/4) of the way. bottom line: if people want to change they will make the attempt to do so. otherwise, they continue in their (ignorant?) belief that they are just fine the way they are, when in reality, there is always room for improvement.

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Witness how numerous and far-reaching have been the changes in language, speech, and writing since the days of Adam. How much greater must have been the changes before Him! (Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 173) The morals of humanity must undergo change. New remedy and solution for human problems must be adopted. Human intellects themselves must change and be subject to the universal reformation. (Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith, p. 229) In this age, a man who curses his father is allowed to live, when formerly he would have been put to death. It is therefore evident that whilst the spiritual law never alters, the practical rules must change their application with the necessities of the time. The spiritual aspect of religion is the greater, the more important of the two, and this is the same for all time, it never changes! (Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 142) The lights of reality must now be revealed, and the secrets of God's bestowals must now be made known, and now must the olden grace shine forth and this world change into the pleasure-ground of heaven, the garden of God. (Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 232)

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We are always changing. Some good, some not so good. We evolve to be what we want to be and should NEVER change for somebody else. Be exactly who you want to be and enjoy life. Cameloot.com

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If you define the person by their thoughts, morals, actions, looks, hobbies, friends, social status, personality, even /name/ ...yes. They change all the time. Sometimes it's gradual and other times a significant event can change a person's perspective instantly. If you define the person as what's behind all that... as the soul that was brought into this world temporarily... no. I don't believe that soul/energy/consciousness/knowing/source/whatever you want to call it ever changes in any way other than the form-based changes I listed above, which are constant. To me that part of a person simply is.

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I have never known anyone to really change in my 55 yrs on this earth. They can change some behaviors, things and surroundings but the basic core of beliefs and attitude does not usually change much. You will see when a "changed" person is under stress or faced with difficulties if they have really changed.

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Everybody who thinks people dont change is not really thinking. Everything in the universe changes. Humans arent born the way they die... and what do you call it when you become something else but Change. I suspect your question is about the cognitive part not about the appearance. Think about it in those terms are you the same person as when you were born?? Do you care for same things, like the same food, feel love in the same way? Are there any differences in the way you think (We can only hope). Then you have changes. We learn and we forget. We change all the time. After long time what we remember is memories of our memories not our true memories. What is the hardest part to change in our brain is the primitive part. It is sadly the part that deals with habit forming or addictions, but even this changes if people are willing. Ex-drug addicts are alive today to tell you and also say how hard it was to do it. People definitely do change, even if its for the worse

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ONLY if they really, REALLY want to and WILL IT to be so.

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I hope so. I really hope so.

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I used to think that people couldn't change, but my father became a diabetic several years ago and honest to god changed his entire life around in order to be healthier and eat right (and live).

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No, I don't think so. They might change their hair color or talk a certain way, but underneath, they're still the same person. You can't just change who you are with the flip of a switch!

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I believe people DEVELOP. The raw material is there all along. Depends on which aspects of oneself one chooses to develop. Even seeming "stagnation" is a form of "persistence"

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I believe they can. They have to be determined and stick with that change, but yes they can.

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I think both of the statements can be true... 1. "People Change" Because people do change.. as everything must change, something new something strange... In my opinion, change is one of the major manifestations of LIFE... If something is living it keeps on changing in many many respects, no need to mention the involuntary changes in ones body... Of course there is a natural tendency to resist change, the upbringing plays a little of its role also... But at the same time we DO HAVE the capacity to transcend above our habitual practices and our nature. Change is a continuous process and it never stops. Some people welcome 'change' very easily and hence become the agents of change and at the same time others show their strongest possible resistance... nevertheless, whether one accepted it in the beginning or not, when that particular phenomena, that particular required 'change' is not anymore resistible, everybody accepts. At all the times, we all are at different degrees of change.. 2. "People Never Change" This statement can also be true if we are talking about the "Individuality" of every person. Every person is different with its own likes/dislikes, understanding patterns, talents, special capacities and many other aspects. Each of us is unique. Even twins differs. So, that 'individuality' or 'uniqueness' always remains. And this is the beauty of LIFE!

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How people act, and how they are precieved changes drastically through time. But who one truly is, and the person that they've always been, never leaves underneath the surface. "People never change." True. "People can change." Also, true. Just in different ways than we think. People can't change who they are. But they can always change how they act and who they are precieved to be. You see, the negative qualities that we see in people isn't part of who they are, it's due to things that have occurred to them in their lives. Behaviors can change, people can't. That gives me hope(:

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To change is an active choice, but to not change is also an active choice, the significant word being "choice". Anyone who says people never change must have a very limited view of life, and must be one of those who chooses to never change. Who else would make such a non-sensical statement?

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I like the story of the woman who was afraid of change - she said, "Everybody sees that I am discontent, they tell me to change this or change that... I say I try but its no use I seem to be stuck in this cycle of my life, they say try this regime or read this book it will change your life, but it doesn't, then I met my lover, he said, darling, I love you just as you are, you are so wonderful you do not ever need to alter a thing about you, I love every bit... and whaddayaknow? I changed!

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I don't belive that people change. Maby on the outside but in the inside people stay the same. Even if they look like they have change they haven't. They just pretend or act. I belive that world is a stage and we are just actors playing in a play called Circle of Life.

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If we don't evolve we die. Technology escalates our dysfunctional behaviors. Yet death is just a transformation of form. There is a shift happening as when the first flowers evolved 104 million years ago, I hope we can so evolve and that new consciousness will take hold throughout the world, instead of letting our egos dictating our lives, we will see how connected we are to each and all things, at every level. That causality or karma, whatever label you chose does exist and your actions do have an effect on one another and the greater universe.

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Of course people change. I am not the person I was at 17, 21, 30, etc. The point is.....have you evolved? If you are still doing the same things, wearing the same outfits you wore in high school after 40, you are stagnant. If you have learned anything from your time here on earth, you can age with dignity and wisdom, otherwise you may just end up old, cranky and pissed off at life.

@ChristoneaMarieJane in a town near the ocean.

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