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I think major change in a person's outlook on life is possible at any point but I also think that's a very rare event. Often people will realize that they're making some poor decisions about one thing or another and will make an effort to change for the better but it's been my experience with people I've known that they almost always slip back into their old ways of thinking and behaving. I do realize that as people grow older and gain more experiences it does influence their behavior to a certain extent but to be honest I've never met a single person in my life that has changed their basic personality in a fundamental way.
[quote=actonbell;2928971]Posted by: ptsum On: 02-23-2008 12:30 PM You have an interesting subject here, I would hope that you would be a little more open-minded, and take the time to learn a little more about the different philosophies and beliefs of different cultures, after all life is a learning process, and the longer we live, the more we should learn.
This is not intended for criticism, I believe that if one were to take the time to learn a little more throughout life, the more tolerant one becomes.
The word “you” please Don’t do that, as that is not fair. We have never met. And even if we did meet face-to-face, we still would never truly know one another.
Think before you post, please.
I find it very curious that out of all of my responses you picked this one to criticize, now why is that? Do you not think that one should have an open mind in order to learn? No, I do not know you, and yes you are probably right that should we ever have a face-to-face meeting we would both go away not knowing each other or what each other thinks and I think that would be a shame because there is always a possibility that we could both learn from one another, do you not think so?
For those who may not have understood I said, “we have not changed” in the usage of the word “we” I have included myself within the set and subsets of the modern man.
I am not going to respond with defensive tactics as to the level of my abilities to have an open mind or to how knowledgeable I should become in the way other people believe. However, I really don’t think that any one person is capable of such an act-as there are billions of people in this world all with differences.
With that said…
Foundation of philosophy may take on different forms as; who were our great thinkers, what conclusions were derivative by them and from what aspects did they draw their conclusions?
Have we really changed or has just our perception of things changed over a period of time?
Love is a philosophy of two people who come together to unit. (Love is whatever we want it to be right, well apparently…)
There is the united we stand, divided we fall, ideals. And America was built on unification. Yes? No?
We can justify any thing and rationalize our actions to the justification that the means defines the end.
So, were does the love go in a fallen marriage? Some would say, well we grew apart from one another. Other’s our goals changed. For decades we have been justifying our actions to fit the means to an end.
So what, choice has changed in existentialism? In our choices?
Socrates believed and is quoted:
Know Thyself! - Socrates (400 B.C.E.)
“The unexamined life is not worth living." To know oneself makes for power, self-control and success. Individuals encounter difficulty in life because they do not fully comprehend their abilities, limitations or the full range of their personalities. They need a psychological mirror enabling each person to see the self as it really is, including its strengths, weaknesses, and potentialities.
Epistemology is a branch of philosophy that investigates the origin, nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge.
Some one asked what change are we cataloging? I would say the limits of human knowledge and the ability to fully comprehend our full potential as humanitarians. (the art of being human)
Okay and here is where I will state farther on something that happened during my years in college and also broaden this to the realms of out Literature. In British Lit, in that course we were studying the authors and Lord Byron was under subject. He liked little boys as so history tells us.
Upon hearing that I thought of someone else who is an artist that has been in our news media and I looked up at the instructor and I said, we really haven’t changed over all the years of our existence, we’re still the same as we were decades ago. He replied, “no we haven’t.”
You know the Zen have wonderful philosophy and good guidelines. I recently watched a man on television discuss. He said something I found quite interesting in that, we came into this life with nothing and we will leave this life with nothing, so our possessions are….no-things.
For those who may not have understood I said, “we have not changed” in the usage of the word “we” I have included myself within the set and subsets of the modern man.
I am not going to respond with defensive tactics as to the level of my abilities to have an open mind or to how knowledgeable I should become in the way other people believe. However, I really don’t think that any one person is capable of such an act-as there are billions of people in this world all with differences.
With that said…
Foundation of philosophy may take on different forms as; who were our great thinkers, what conclusions were derivative by them and from what aspects did they draw their conclusions?
Have we really changed or has just our perception of things changed over a period of time?
Love is a philosophy of two people who come together to unit. (Love is whatever we want it to be right, well apparently…)
There is the united we stand, divided we fall, ideals. And America was built on unification. Yes? No?
We can justify any thing and rationalize our actions to the justification that the means defines the end.
So, were does the love go in a fallen marriage? Some would say, well we grew apart from one another. Other’s our goals changed. For decades we have been justifying our actions to fit the means to an end.
So what, choice has changed in existentialism? In our choices?
Socrates believed and is quoted:
Know Thyself! - Socrates (400 B.C.E.)
“The unexamined life is not worth living." To know oneself makes for power, self-control and success. Individuals encounter difficulty in life because they do not fully comprehend their abilities, limitations or the full range of their personalities. They need a psychological mirror enabling each person to see the self as it really is, including its strengths, weaknesses, and potentialities.
Epistemology is a branch of philosophy that investigates the origin, nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge.
Some one asked what change are we cataloging? I would say the limits of human knowledge and the ability to fully comprehend our full potential as humanitarians. (the art of being human)
Okay and here is where I will state farther on something that happened during my years in college and also broaden this to the realms of out Literature. In British Lit, in that course we were studying the authors and Lord Byron was under subject. He liked little boys as so history tells us.
Upon hearing that I thought of someone else who is an artist that has been in our news media and I looked up at the instructor and I said, we really haven’t changed over all the years of our existence, we’re still the same as we were decades ago. He replied, “no we haven’t.”
You know the Zen have wonderful philosophy and good guidelines. I recently watched a man on television discuss. He said something I found quite interesting in that, we came into this life with nothing and we will leave this life with nothing, so our possessions are….no-things.
Change what a beautiful concept.
From this POV, regarding the greater WE, man has changed very little, and is most likely in a digressive phase at this time....
Just to make a point - I thought even biblical literalists claim humans were 6000 years old. We have writing dating back some 5000 years.
To the point of the question. I think each individual is born with a set of traits that cannot be changed unless there is significant brain damage to remove them. I also think that each personality trait has facets both good and bad. For example, the flip side of stubbornness is tenacity. But I also believe that each person can choose which facet of the traits he/she has to emphasize and can "change" to that extent. So, we in essence do not change but in action may or may not, depending on how we choose to live our lives.
From paleolithic cavemen, we are not fundamentally different, but we have chosen to learn and build upon prior experiences thru the ages. If we could take a 40000 year old Cro-Magnon caveman and clone him into a new baby but with the DNA of those long ago ancestors, he would be indistinguishable from anyone else alive today (stick with the same species as us).
Our beliefs create our reality.
They are that strong.
If you believe you never change, then you never will.
On the other hand, since I believe I can re-make myself every day, every moment, then that is open to me, and I do so on a regular basis.
“The loss of flexibility in a disintegrating society is accompanied by a general loss of harmony among its elements which inevitably leads to the outbreak of social discord and disruption.”
He talks about “challenge and response”. And if I am reading his thoughts correctly, civilizations get creative but yet in that they create an overbalance. Which then and I quote: “After civilizations have reached a peak of vitality, they tend to lose their cultural momentum and decline.”
It just seems to me that the smarter we get then the more stupid we become.
It’s a good article, I hope you enjoy reading it.
I am product of my creator, and I am the way that I am as He made me to be.
He likes me and I like me. Need there ever be anything more?
People realy hate it when I say this, wounds there ego or something, but, on the standpoint of mankind as a whole, we have changed, we where at one time much more inteligent, peacefull and stronger than we are now, our decline seems to coincide with the rise of the vast civilizations
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