Do you think people can change?

[monkeygirl13]

At school we had a debate about if people could change their ways or not. I was curious about what people on AoPS think about people changing their ways.
So do you think people can change their ways?

[eli140]

I think people can change, although sometimes not completely. For example, if there was a really mean guy, and he was disciplined into a guy who acts really nice, it may be that that he still has mean ideas but chooses not to act upon them.

[evilhamster]

When you say "if people can change their ways", what part of a person's "ways" are you referring to? And what would constitute changing those "ways"?

[cyberspace]

I'll assume you're asking about if people can change the type of person they are. I don't think people can ever change that. A person may be able to reform a way of life or even a way of acting. However, no matter what actions occur to us, deep down we'll never be able to change how our genetics dictate our traits. If a person's genetics tell that he will always react to a certain situation in some way, then he will, regardless of whether or not he wishes it or even if he thinks he's changed from it.

Of course, if you mean can a person change their actions, then sure. People can always use their mental will to reform their actions, however deeply ingrained they may be. My point is that even if a person does this, it may run contrary to his core principles whether he knows it or not.

[Ihatepie]

[cyberspace]

I agree to a point. I think in the early developmental stages, both nature and nurture count. During that phase, people can change dramatically. However, once people are out of the "nurture" phase, they're stuck.

[kookamunga]

I think that for the most part everyone's posts make good sense... everyone will always have some feelings that they can't really get rid of, although a mean person obviously can change to be a nice person. However, so far all of this has been to the extent of how much someone can change on their own. I know that probably most of you don't believe in Christianity and probably only some of you believe in God at all... however, I know from personal experiences (not to mention my own) that however much someone can't change/get rid of something on their own, after becoming Christians they have the power to change from the inside out through the power of Christ. When anyone accepts Christ as their savior, they are putting off the old self and becoming a new person. 2 Corinthians 5:17: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; The old has gone, the new has come!" Yup, that's my opinion, anyway.

[modularmarc101]

I believe a person can change, if and only if, he/she want to.

[Maybach]

[Ihatepie]

[HilbertThm90]

People are changing all the time whether they want to or not. Everything is in constant change. No millisecond goes by such that you haven't changed. It is the nature of the universe. The question "can people change" is strange to me. The better question is, "Can people not change?" Which I believe the answer to be no.

[modularmarc101]

[kookamunga]

[lightning]

As one gets progessively older, it becomes harder to change. This is why youth groups were set up in Hitler Germany, Stalin Russia, and Mao China, to ensure that a group of people would think a certain way. One can change still, but the efforts needed are increasing as one gets older.

A person though, can easily appear to be changed, and not listen to what his or her true feelings dictate.

There is also good and evil in every person. For example, Hitler created the terrible Holocaust, yet he also helped little children in a city (I can't remember the name right now).

[modularmarc101]

[lightning]

@modularmarc101
i'm not too sure at what you're trying to say....

I was just saying that no one is completely good or bad, that there is some good in every person, and some bad in every person. Hitler did think that the Holocaust was good, but that doesn't make him 100% evil, just very close to it, because he did some generous deeds. For example, "at Berchtesgaden, he loved to see the nieghborhood children and give them ice cream and cake." Of course, I do not support Hitler, but would like to point out that there is at least a little good in him, which was overshadowed by his horrific Holocaust.

thinking about it, I'm not too sure if a truly evil person is possible. I think a truly evil person would want to hurt everyone, including him/herself.

The quote was taken from an article named "Evil" written by Time magazine. We had to read this article for our English 3 class.