Can People Change

In my very first post I said how I don’t think people can truly change. I said I believe people change their actions because they learn that they don’t like the consequences, but that they don’t suddenly become morally against their previous way of life, and when tempted, they may fall back to old habits. Their actions may change; their nature does not.

I think I’m starting to think that, yes that is one way it happens, but some people may truly be able to change. Maybe people go full-speed ahead not understanding why they are doing what they are doing, and when things finally start to click, they can see behind the curtain. When they do some soul-searching and really understand what the needs behind their actions truly are, they can see how their actions are actually not fulfilling their soul’s needs. Then they can come to a place within themselves where they “get it”, and having that new knowledge, they would never go back to their old way of life, because they can never look at anything the same again.

It’s like watching a suspenseful movie with a completely unexpected ending. Once you’ve seen the movie all the way through, you can’t watch it the same way. You already know what happens. Now all you notice are the little hints all the way through the movie that subtly pointed towards that twist ending. It doesn’t have the same suspense and shock as the first time you saw it, because now you “get it”; now you see how everything fits together so perfectly.

That’s like someone who indulges in superficial things. Maybe some person or event finally pokes a hole in their view of the world, and they start to wonder. But they can’t just “wonder” – they’d still have to do a whole lot of soul-searching and growth to really uncover and believe in that new way of life. Their actions and their thoughts would need to change – but it is possible. Even if most people don’t change, it is still possible. Knowing what they know now, they may never be able to think of things the same way. They may never be able to look at the opposite gender the same way, or their relationships with their close friends, or their attitude towards strangers. Maybe they were on auto-pilot and not thinking deeply enough, and when their soul finally screamed out to them, they finally listened.

Hm. Interesting. I’m sure I’ve heard or read similar words many times before, but this time I actually might believe them. I might. I’m not 100% there, but I’ve made room in my heart for that explanation. I’m maybe 80% there. You know what the biggest example of that theory is? Me. I’m trying to change. I’m trying to be more accepting, and the more I do my own soul-searching and research, the more I see things in a new light. Now, I could just be the former. I could just be changing my actions because I don’t like the outcome. In a way, I am. But that is still to be determined. I know this is the right way to live, regardless of any benefit to me. It’s like this dream I had the other night. I dreamt I was sitting on a cloud. It was nice, but I was scared. How am I staying up here? What if I fall? Then I saw that I was tethered to the cloud by a cord. I couldn’t fall. I looked up clouds in a dream dictionary when I woke up. Clouds are supposed to mean inner peace, positive thoughts and wisdom. It’s like my mind was telling me that I am on the right track, and I cannot fail. I’m tethered to this now. This is my new way of thinking. I can’t fall away from it. That was really reassuring. Even if you don’t believe that dreams mean anything (do some research because they definitely do!), you have to admit the value in being reassured by something like that, even if it is the placebo effect.

Less than a month into this, and I’m making some excellent headway in adjusting my thoughts to a healthier and more accepting way of life! I’m so excited! The big test will be if I can actually implement all of this with real people. Abstract thoughts and analysis is great, but at some point you have to apply it to the real world. I bet Life can’t wait to test me… I can’t wait to see what happens!