Can People Change?

Wednesday 29 September 2010

Change. Do You Believe People Can Change? I know many who don’t think so, and often we wouldn’t agree on many other things. I believe anyone can change. Not to insult the beliefs of others, but in my opinion those that don’t believe people can change, are (at least at this instance of time) not capable of changing themselves – they’re closed minded.

What’s the whole point of the prison system, if people can’t change? If criminals for example spend 10 or so years in jail, and are guaranteed to not change, to not realise the wrong in their behaviour, or their nature, then what is the point? Why waste tax payers money to feed them, and to put a roof over their heads? We believe in human intelligence and the optimistic belief that people ultimately make decisions to make a better life for themselves, at least those that make the big decisions must believe this, that the human mind is capable of being reshaped.

Those that want to change are capable of it. Is that not the beauty of humanity? Being capable of doing anything that you want in the world, regardless of whether or not your choice is defined by the majority as a “good” or “bad” decision. There’ll always be limits to your choices, for example age, lack of knowledge, and the environment you’re in, but being realistic is the key, being unconfident and indecisive is a common hinderance.

Evolution and Change

It’s the survival of the fittest. That’s life. Whether you’re a rat in the desert, or a human in the city, only the best will “survive” – the definition of survival is idiosyncratic. Nature itself promotes the best genes that will lead to a more successful race. The premise behind evolution is change. In this sense, change is easily advantageous. If evolution can occur between generations of humans, then why not yearly, or even daily, from within oneself – is the human mind not infinite in its capabilities? I believe it is – of course to a point.

Mental Plasticity = Change?

What’s the difference between a child and an adult? A child has a malleable mind, an adult, not so much. This obviously doesn’t hold true for all individuals, you could easily find an adult who is more adept at learning and adopting new ideas than certain children within a handful of people, but for the majority, the prior does hold true. A child is moulded into what their environment permits, they change and are shaped into adults, mostly unknowingly – and guided by the hand of, ideally, a responsible adult who does what’s best for the child. Throughout childhood, given the opportunity, you’re continuously learning, and I’ve come across one too many adults who think that learning ends when school ends, whether that’s primary, secondary, or tertiary. I believe in this context, changing is synonymous with learning. Those with an open mind, and allow themselves to adopt new ideas, will not have trouble changing, whether it’s for better or worse, regardless of age.

I Don’t Want To Change.

One resistance to change is pride and its inherited characteristic, stubbornness. I feel that being proud of the person you are is a key to a happy life, but if that pride blinds you to a better way of doing things, a better way of living your life, then how is that level of pride conducive to happiness?

It’s entirely possible that there are people in this world that resemble near perfection, at least in their minds, and as long as they acknowledge their flaws, which there is guaranteed to many, then they’re at least realistic, and perhaps not too proud. By that I mean they’re not blinded by their pride.

Sometimes there’s no need to change. At least no reason to. If someone wanted to try to change (hopefully for what is defined by the general consensus as “the better”), then you would have to be able to recognize the principles you live by that relate to this change. If the proposed changes don’t benefit you (or possibly others) in anyway, then why would you comply? Assuming the logically minded individual, then a logical advantage to changing must exist. If the “compromise” is worth the benefits, then it’s a non-issue – at least until pride comes into play.

The Environment

What defines us, the person we are, is the environment we inhabit – those we inhabit for significant lengths of time. If you’re surrounded by the same people, and spend your time in the same rooms, that don’t change, that are unstimulating, then would you not unwittingly adopt those characteristics yourself?

The difference between the young adult that believes in the capability to change, is the child that is continuously encouraged to learn (regardless of whether their goals are academic or athletic), versus the child that isn’t encouraged in this manner. The child that doesn’t grasp the concept of self-development, is the child that is incapable of changing as an adult. It’s no doubt important for everyone regardless of age to learn new things, to remain, or begin being, open-minded.

I think the environment is a tool for change. But for most it’s a limitation. For example if one is “use to” being in a particular situation with the same type of people, then there is less desire to change themselves (we are after all, creatures of habit). The solution would be to change your environment, and acknowledge that changing habits and leaving your comfort zone requires immeasurable effort that a lot of people aren’t willing to give, at least not for a sustained period.

Conclusion

I think the beauty of the human mind is its malleability, the potential for change, whether or not change occurs is another thing. If one loses the ability to mould their mind to accept, and not just acknowledge, new ideas, then in essence haven’t they lost a part of their humanity? Everybody can change, but the difference is the level at which they have accepted this.

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